By Martins Akpororo
Mr. Timothy Akatakpo, a-39-year- old male from Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria, is currently seeking Asylum in Canada due imminent and present danger to his life, persecution, arrest and intending prosecution by the Nigeria Security Agencies, such as the DSS, the Nigeria Police and others.
Mr. Akatakpo’s ordeal came as a result of his peculiar bi-sexuality and sexual orientation, being gay, which is considered a serious behavioral/social anomaly, an anathema and, thus, prohibitive within Nigerian Native law and custom, various religious sects and equally constitute a criminal offence under the Nigeria Law (Same Sex Prohibition Act 2013).
He has a six-year-old daughter named Gloria and a sibling who are in Nigeria.
Mr. Akatakpo is under fears well-founded and that his return to Nigeria would subject him to a series of inhuman and degrading treatment, including persecution by the security agencies due to his participation in a Queer Party at Residency Hotel in Dunukofia, Anambra State on March 7, 2021.
Mr. Akatakpo, a former student of Kings College, Lagos, and a graduate of Delta State University, started noticing his sexual development while in secondary school when he attended the age of puberty. His sexual orientation and preference caused him to be attracted to both male and female genders but he could not openly express himself given the nature of Nigeria Society. He later found a close relationship with a male friend who was also a gay, thus, making the relationship to be secret for fear of being exposed and expelled from School.
While in the University, and given his bi-sexual status, it was easy to operate in secret as he developed bonds, association and relationship with other LGBTQ+ groups under pseudo names until graduation.
On graduation, Emeka, his male partner, relocated to Cross River State and it was difficult to have another male partner for fear of exposure until he found Fred, who owns a bar and later employed him as a Manager of the Place Restaurant Bar in Delta State.
Fred accepted him for his bi-sexuality as he was not opposed to having any affair with a woman if he wanted.
In 2017, Mr. Akatakpo, thereafter, met a lady online by name Patient and had a series of chats and fell in love with her which culminated in another relationship. Patient would usually visit him from the nearby State and the relationship resulted in the pregnancy and birth of his baby girl on the 8th of January 2018, named Gloria.
Patient did not know his unique sexuality and pressured him for a marriage to build a family with her husband, which he could not consent to, thus causing her to break up with him.
However, the thrust of the ordeal which necessitated the seeking of asylum started in March, 2021 wherein Mr. Akatakpo had a get-together party in their alumni, being a pseudo name for the association of gay at Residency Hotel Dunukobia in Anambra State, South East Nigeria. Fred, his partner, attended the party and it was prohibited by law for any gay or LGBTQ+ association to have such a party.
The Police and the DSS were tipped and they stormed the party leading to the arrest of some of their members. Fred and some of their members were arrested, while Mr. Akatakpo escaped from the Joint Task force of Police and DSS on June 21st, 2021.
After obtaining information from those members already in Police custody incriminating him, the Police went to redouble their efforts to get Mr. Atakakpo at The Place Restaurant Bar, in Delta but he was lucky to escape and ran to Lagos.
In September 2021, two of his LGBTQ+ members were arrested by the Police.
Considering the situation in Lagos, Mr. Atakakpo developed a desire to further his postgraduate education in Canada as he went to fill and processed his visa forms preparatory to his travel for further studies.
It was at this point that information got to him that The Police was still trailing him based on the gathering at Residency Hotel in Dunukobia on March 2021 with threatening phone calls for invitation to submit himself to the Police or being arrested and humiliated.
Given the extant provisions of the SAME SEX MARRIAGE PROHIBITION ACT OF 2013 which impose punishment for 14 years imprisonment for those engaged in same sex marriage and 10 years imprisonment for those making show of same sex relationship or register same sex clubs/association and other penal provisions, it became clear that Mr. Atakakpo was in for a big trouble that could lead to his trial and subsequent imprisonment by Nigerian Security agencies.
Consequently, he began to move to a safer place as he would not know the information Fred, his partner, who had been arrested and in police custody, had released to implicate him. Finally, he moved to Mr. Kekere Stephen, his cousin who lived at Oshodi in Lagos State.
On getting there, he ensured that he did not disclose to him about his ordeal and encounter with the Police and ensured his sexuality was kept undisclosed for fear of exposure for arrest and victimization as exposing such would attract more condemnation, stigmatization and resentment as they would take him as an outcast under spell, devil incantation or spiritual attack.
No sooner had Mr. Atakakpo secured and was issued with a student visa to Canada in June 2023, than his Father got sick and the health condition of his Father quickly deteriorated in October 2023. Later in the year, the father died, causing him to leave Lagos to Delta State for the burial of his father.
During the period of the burial while still in Delta State, the Police stormed the residence of his cousin, Mr. Kekere Stephen at Oshodi to arrest him only to discover that he was not around. His cousin was interrogated and was made to know that he was a gay and was wanted by the Police.
In a sudden and unexpected twist, and instead of coming down to discuss with Mr. Atakakpo, Kekere, his cousin, came down to Delta State to expose and humiliate him. He relayed to his relatives and family members the interrogation that he had with the police and exposed him as gay and someone wanted by the Police before his family members.
The family subjected him to several antiquated traditional rites, including beating and being lacerated with razor blade to appease the gods for venturing out of the natural routes.
One day, the community and family trooped out and beat him while he ran away and relocated to a hotel in Delta State to save his dear life. He was terribly assaulted and humiliated as they decided to arrest and hand him over to the Police.
With several bruises and injuries on him, he could not go to hospital as the Police were looking for him, thus, causing him to hire a private person to treat his injuries.
All these constitute a huge prize he had to pay for defending his RIGHT to sexuality/sexual orientation which is neither protected by our Native law/custom or the Nigerian constitution but only protected in Developed Countries like US, Canada and others.
Considering the uninterrupted pressure that his family was bent on arresting him and handover to the police, Mr. Atakakpo left Delta State and went from one place to other without disclosing to any member of his family and finally relocated to Ibadan in Oyo State, South West Nigeria, from October 2023 to December 2023 wherein he finally travelled to Canada on December 12th and arrived on 13th December, 2023.
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