Clerics in Lagos have raised alarm over the surge of same-sex practices, warning that the development is gaining dangerous ground among youths.
Nigeria’s LGBTQ community has once again come under violent assault, with fresh attacks in Lagos leaving casualties and heightening fears among survivors who say their lives remain under threat.
Pastor Michael Oladimeji of Grace Fountain Ministries, Surulere, while speaking with our correspondent, said churches are increasingly encountering cases of homosexuality among young members.
Also speaking, Imam Lukman Adebayo of Al-Huda Mosque, Mushin, condemned the growing wave of homosexuality, linking it to the influence of social media and unchecked peer pressure.
The cleric warned that beyond the moral collapse, the violent mob attacks often targeted at suspected LGBTQ persons now threaten communal peace.
Recall on Saturday, February 15, 2025, officers of the Nigerian Police Force stormed Graziella Hotels, Orogwe, in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, where a suspected same-sex party was being held.
The raid, announced on Monday, February 17, 2025, by the Imo Police Command, confirmed that security operatives foiled the attempt to turn the venue into “a dungeon of the modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Also, one of the numerous cases is when family sources recounted the ordeal of Mrs. Mutiat Oluwakemi Kalejaiye, who secretly identified as bisexual for years but became a target after repeated attacks on LGBTQ gatherings.
She was hospitalised for several days in 2024 after narrowly escaping one of the assaults that left her partner, Ms. Olufunke Omodayo, and others dead.
On 14th February 2024, a party organised in Lagos by Ms. Adewunmi Adeola was violently disrupted by hostile groups.
Again, on 10th June 2024, suspected religious extremists invaded another LGBTQ party in Abule Egba, injuring several including Ms. Hannah Benbow and Mr. Yemi Taiwo.
The deadliest came on 20th December 2024, when mobs stormed a Halloween event in Lagos, killing Ms. Omodayo, Ms. Benbow, and Ms. Funmi Oshoma. Kalejaiye was injured, treated in hospital, and later fled the country in 2025 after persistent death threats.
Police sources confirmed that some survivors, including Mrs. Kalejaiye, remain on their radar as the force intensifies its clampdown on same-sex activities nationwide.
Nigeria’s law criminalises same-sex relationships and prescribes heavy penalties for those found guilty.
