Gay Suspect On The Run As Attackers Kill Mother, Neighbor In Effurun-Warri

By Doreen Ogboku

It was a bloody day in January, 2024 when residents of Effurun-Warri, Delta State woke up to witness a gruesome attack that left two persons dead in connection with same-sex relationship involving two young men, Bright Anie and Yusuf Abubakar Ibrahim.

ATLANTICNEWSONLINE informants disclosed that the incident had begun on 13th January, 2024 when Yusuf’s mother, Mrs. Ibrahim in the course of cleaning up his room found an incriminating and damaging evidence that revealed an existing same-sex love relationship between her son and Bright Anie.

Mrs. Ibrahim eventually intimated her husband Mallam Abubakar Ibrahim about her finding in Yusuf’s room.

This was said to have infuriated the couple, leaving them in an emotionally devastating state. They could not bear the finding that their son had engaged as same-sex lover with Bright.

Our sources further confirmed that Yusuf’s father, Mallam Abubakar Ibrahim, is a reputed Islamic and community leader who would never condone what is considered abomination both from his religious and cultural background.

Being influential in the community, Mallam Ibrahim reportedly ordered his political and Sharia thugs backed up by some armed police men to go in search of Bright Anie suspected to have converted his son into a gay relationship.

The aim was to arrest Bright for interrogation and possible prosecution as same-sex relationship is outlawed in Nigeria and carries about 14 years imprisonment for anyone charged and convicted for same-sex relationship of either lesbianism, gay bi-sexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ).

It was gathered that when the thugs and police arrived the residence of Bright’s family, he was not at home but his father, Mr. Anie Akpan, his cousin-sister Mercy Ukeme and his mother Mrs. Anie Esther were met.

As the thugs arrived the Anie’s residence and made frantic effort searching every nook and cranny in the apartment to get Bright, his father confronted them. Since Bright was no where to be found, the thugs turned against his father, confronting him harshly and eventually attacked him violently.

He was reportedly stabbed twice with lethal object on the left hand and severely injured. His cousin-sister was brutality injured also as she was hit severally with a plank on the shoulder.

The attack got messier when the thugs descended on Bright’s mother and a female neighbor who had tried to intervene. Both ladies were fatally injured and could not survive the wounds inflicted on them. Five other neighbors, all males who had intervened were severely injured.

It later took the intervention of police men sent from the Warri Area Command of the Nigeria Police Force to disperse the thugs. However, the police men who accompanied the thugs were reportedly taken away by their police colleagues.

Sources in the community told our reporter that another group of thugs later returned at night in search of Bright Anie whose whereabouts could not immediately be ascertained.

It could not be confirmed if the corpses of his killed mother and their neighbor were removed by the police or other neighbors.

Our investigation revealed that the incident was not officially reported when it occurred as Delta State Police spokesman, Bright Edafe, a Superintendent of Police denied knowledge of it when our reporter called a few days ago to ascertain the current situation with the case.

Meanwhile, incidence of attack on suspected gays and lesbians is on the increase in some parts of Nigeria as many young Nigerians are now being involved in same-sex love relationship in spite of the harsh penalty awaiting potential convicts in accordance with the extant prohibitive law on LGBTQ in Nigeria.