A Nollywood (Nigerian Hollywood, naturally) actor, Uche Maduagwu, claimed yesterday that he was arrested for coming out as gay and advocating for U.S. intervention in Nigerian human rights abuses.
In his now deleted Instagram post, the actor explained that he had called for Biden to sanction Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and the Bauchi State for their anti-LGBTQ+ judgements.
I was arrested and beaten by security personnel because I came out as gay – Actor Uche Maduagwu
GB WhatsApp • Mbaka • So Obi • #funkeakindele • #BBNaijaS7 • Rest In Peace • #ASUU pic.twitter.com/4L0Jt9LF5O
— TWAA.ng (@TWAA_ng) July 7, 2022
Also since-deleted is a video of Maduagwu tearfully talking about his experience of being beaten for being gay.
Related: Bolu Okupe, the son of an anti-gay Nigerian politician, just came out of the closet
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It’s unclear whether this post has been deleted for legal reasons or if the actor is attempting to retract his coming out again.
He had previously come out as gay at the top of 2021, but then claimed he’d lied about it the following April.
If he’s being genuine, it’s understandable for him to be a little publicly inconsistent in his claims. His calls for political intervention would surely be a threat to his safety in general, and even moreso as a queer public figure in Nigeria.
Just within the past month, three men were sentenced to death by stoning in the Bauchi State for “engaging in homosexuality.”
These draconian punishments are both an example of why it’s so important for Maduagwu to speak out, and why it’s incredibly unsafe for him to do so.
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Before the latest coming out post was deleted, the comments were largely negative.
“You need to be rearrested uche. Every society has a rule governing them and fortunately the part of the country were you reside says a capital NO to gay,” read one comment.
Another commenter asked, “Are you updating us from the cell? Because that’s where you should be.”
At the very least, it seems that the actor is currently in a safe enough place to be updating his Instagram.
