The Nigerian government may not have yet approved their broad anti-gay laws, but that didn’t stop Abuja magistrate Ajoke Adepoju from sentencing a one Francis Chima for trying to get busy with another man.
Asking for leniency, Chima insisted he had no control over the situation, that, in fact, he had been tempted by that dastardly bastard, Satan:
The time I met him on the road, I saw him as a friend and when we entered his house, we discussed and as I was about to go, I put my head on the chest of the man and I wanted to be his friend… It is the work of Satan but I promise that I will not do it again.
Adepoju didn’t buy it and sentenced Chima to either six weeks in prison of N1000 fine, which amounts to about $8.15.
Chima’s certainly not the first Nigerian to go to jail (or worse) for gay-related crimes. Homophobia runs deep in the primarily Christian nation. It’s even infiltrated the press. Consider how the report opens:
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
A self-acclaimed homosexual, Mr. Francis Chima, was yesterday sentenced to six weeks in prison by an Abuja magistrate court for demanding sex from a man.
Self-acclaimed? Demanding sex? Maybe they didn’t include his entire testimony, but neither of those claims seem to be true. Sure, Chima may be gay, but he would never say that to the court, hence the devil’s work defense. Also, putting your head on a man’s chest is not a demand for sex. It’s certainly gay – you know, in that cuddly way – but seems pretty innocuous to us…
Jay
Nigeria has serious problems related to oil extraction from the Nigerian Delta. First, corruption is so bad that the villagers near the delta aren’t receiving any money from the Billions paid to officials. Second, people who live on the delta are angry and are responding by attacking oil interest including kidnapping oil works.
Yet the top priority is to go after a gay man? Bad times are in your future, Nigeria.