Abia Police parades six men for alleged Homosexuality

The Abia State Police Command on Thursday paraded six men arrested at a hotel in Aba, for allegedly engaging in homosexuality, a criminal offence in Nigeria.

The Abia State Commissioner of Police, Anthony Ogbizi, said the 6 men, identified as Fred Ndubuisi, Chidera, Kamsiriochukwu, Anderson, Sampson, and Promise, were arrested following a tip-off from the hotel manager, Peter Okeke.

They were arrested in a room at Citiy Global Hotel at about 2am, Ogbizi said, adding that the management of the hotel had called the police, saying the men were kissing each other at the hotel bar.

The police chief added that the manager said the 6 men were all in one room at the hotel, where only 2 of them had checked in.

The hotel manager, Okeke told newsmen that two of the suspects checked into the hotel on Sunday and paid for one room.

“However, I discovered around 1 p.m. that their number increased to six and when I went into the room to accost them, I found some of them kissing.”

He said that the hotel could only allow a maximum of two guests in a room and that he did not know when the additional four boys joined the first two.

Police said the men came from nearby states to have sex with one another in the hotel room.

The men however said they came for Ndubuisi’s birthday party and intended to get 2 rooms but all the category of rooms they wanted were occupied so they all occupied one room.

One of the suspects, Fred Ndubuisi, a hair stylist, said that they were in the hotel to celebrate his 23rd birthday.

“I invited my friends for my birthday and I wanted to pay for two rooms but we couldn’t because the rooms were filled up, that was why we were in one room.”

“We came here to prepare for a nightclub, which I organised for my relations and close friends to celebrate my birthday.

“We were dressing up for the nightclub in the hotel room when we heard a knock on the door and when we opened it, some men rushed in and started attacking us.

“I am not gay and can never be one,” Ndubuisi told newsmen.

Chidera said:

I arrived the hotel at about 6pm and I asked my friend to book for a room for me. The hotel management said we should pay N5,000 for a room and we could afford it. So, we decided to manage that one room.

After drinking at the hotel bar, we went to the room to change our clothes.  It was at that time that we heard a knock on the door and when we opened the door, the manager started asking why we were six in the room.

After explaining to him, he said they don’t allow more that three persons in a room and that was how he accused us of practising homosexuality in the room. There was nothing like kissing or making love in the room and we are not gays.

Commissioner of Police, Ogbizi, said the hotel manager will provide evidence against the men, adding that the suspects would be arraigned at the end of investigations.