The world sits ideally by while gay men in Nigeria suffer untold hardships and are victimized daily. It is still a taboo to be a gay in Nigeria. In 2017, The punishment for being gay in Nigeria is still 14 years in prisonment with hard labour and 7 years in prisonment for anyone who attends their union. Today we bring to light the story of a young man by the name of Ezeh Michael Kenny. It was on the 10th of July 2012 that his whole life fell apart. A group of teenagers gathered together to celebrate a high school graduation party. The event was at Amadia village in Enugu state. A teenage girl by the name Joy alleged that she had been raped. Panic and fear engulfed the teenagers who had partied that night together. Everyone swore that it couldn't have happened and that the story was unfounded. In the early hours of the next day police men had rounded up most of the teenage boys. Stories and rumors of torture befell the village. Quickly Joy changed her story and alleged that the boy who had raped her was Kenny Michael Ezeh. Kenny on hearing that his name had been mentioned fled for fear. Not fear of being guilty of rape but fear that it will soon be discovered that he was gay. Stories say that Kenny fled, not because he was guilty but because he was gay. And his friends were ready to give up this information to be freed themselves. Kenny fearing the possibility of a 14 year jail term fled his village.
But wait a moment, this is not the real story. The real story is that earlier this week, Joy has retracted her allegations by a 7 point affidavit taken at the high court of Enugu in Enugu state Nigeria. Joy insists today that rape never happened and that elders from her village threatened her and her poor family into making the allegation. The problem being that her village and Kenny's village do not socialise together. Joys 'offense' at that time though was that she dared to socialise with people from a village that was forbidden by her own village. According to Joy, she was given a choice to make the allegation or be killed for betraying her community.
Our reporters contacted the family of Jude and Comfort Ezeh who are the parents of Kenny. We wanted to find out if they were aware that the allegations that made against their son was retracted. Both parents say that nothing makes a difference until their son returns home to them.
The tragedy of it all is that though Kenny Ezeh has been let off the hook as to the rape allegations made against him, the real issue remains that should he be seen in the shores of Nigeria, he would have to answer to the charges of his sexual orientation. A 14 jail sentence awaits him in Eastern Nigeria.
One can only ponder on this case. What then happens to a girl who allegedly claimed rape and suddenly made a turn around 5 years later? What has happened to Kenny Michale Ezeh? Is he alive or has he perished off the coast of Libya? What fate awaits him if he is still alive on his return to Nigeria. The world cannot sit by and watch while hundreds of Nigerian men run away because of their sexual orientation. Something needs to be done now!
But wait a moment, this is not the real story. The real story is that earlier this week, Joy has retracted her allegations by a 7 point affidavit taken at the high court of Enugu in Enugu state Nigeria. Joy insists today that rape never happened and that elders from her village threatened her and her poor family into making the allegation. The problem being that her village and Kenny's village do not socialise together. Joys 'offense' at that time though was that she dared to socialise with people from a village that was forbidden by her own village. According to Joy, she was given a choice to make the allegation or be killed for betraying her community.
Our reporters contacted the family of Jude and Comfort Ezeh who are the parents of Kenny. We wanted to find out if they were aware that the allegations that made against their son was retracted. Both parents say that nothing makes a difference until their son returns home to them.
The tragedy of it all is that though Kenny Ezeh has been let off the hook as to the rape allegations made against him, the real issue remains that should he be seen in the shores of Nigeria, he would have to answer to the charges of his sexual orientation. A 14 jail sentence awaits him in Eastern Nigeria.
One can only ponder on this case. What then happens to a girl who allegedly claimed rape and suddenly made a turn around 5 years later? What has happened to Kenny Michale Ezeh? Is he alive or has he perished off the coast of Libya? What fate awaits him if he is still alive on his return to Nigeria. The world cannot sit by and watch while hundreds of Nigerian men run away because of their sexual orientation. Something needs to be done now!
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