Two suspected homosexuals, Divine, 28, and Callistus Alagba, 26, have escaped lynching following beatings from youths and local vigilante officials in Ebonyi State.
According to eyewitnesses, the duo was ambushed in their hostel room at Presco Campus in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, after a neighbour raised an alarm about their alleged homosexual activities.
The mob dragged them out of the room and beat them with sticks and belts, leaving them in critical condition.
One of the occupants of the room, Chinedu Okafor, described the scene as chaotic and ruthless.
He said: "The mob was ruthless. They kept shouting about cleansing the town of sin. By the time the vigilante group intervened, the boys were barely conscious."
Divine allegedly confessed to engaging in homosexuality, and was introduced to it by one Emmanuel. He also claimed to have introduced many others to the act, including Callistus. However, their luck ran out when neighbors heard their moans and alerted the local vigilante.
Callistus escaped during the chaos and has been declared wanted by the vigilante group, while Divine was severely beaten but managed to share his account of the incident with Vanguard.
This incident highlights the dangers faced by individuals perceived to be LGBTQ+ in Nigeria, where same-sex relationships are criminalized under the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act signed into law in 2014.
He was so emotional for being caught in the act and prayed that his friend and lover, Callistus, stayed safe after he got away and was nowhere to be found by security operatives.
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