The neighbours of a Lagos socialite have cried out over his disappearance a few weeks after he was allegedly assaulted on suspicion of being gay.
He was said to have been apprehended sometime in December 2019 at his residence in the Aguda area of Surulere, Lagos, by uniformed men, and taken to an unknown location where he was accused of being one of the brains behind homosexual practices in Nigeria.
The man, an ex-banker who worked in several new generation banks, was also allegedly accused of funding the establishment of hotels for gays in the country.
It was said that he was released from captive two days later, after being assaulted by the uniformed men.
One of his neighbors, Chinedu Okonkwo, said: ‘’They pushed him out of their car while driving on Ajah express road two days later and that it was a good Samaritan who helped him to get home.
‘’While in their custody, they told him that some persons who were arrested for engaging in homosexual-related activity at a hotel in Egbeda, a Lagos suburb, mentioned his name as their patron. They also accused him of approving loans that were used to build hotels where homosexuals meet in Lagos.’’
Okonkwo added that his neighbour has since fled his residence and that a few weeks later, his wife and children also fled out of fear because those uniformed men threatened to further deal with him over the matter.
‘’We heard that the men told him to remember that same-sex practices are not permitted in Nigeria. In the process, they assaulted him for two days and later released him after threatening to kill him and his family because of the damage he has done in the country by encouraging gay activities.”
‘’He and his family have since disappeared without a trace, and we are worried that the uniformed men might have made good their threats.’’
