The Edo State Police Command has declared a middle-aged man, Osaghae Imhanzeto, wanted over his involvement in same-sex activities.
A family source who spoke to Our Correspondent said the matter came to public attention following an incident of August 29, 2026, in a remote community within the Benin area.
According to the source who pleads for anonimity said, Imhanzeto has gone into hiding in his father's hometown in Edo State following his illegal involvement in gay activities, which negates the Nigerian law.
Our Source said, Imhanzeto reportedly fled to his father’s hometown on August 29, 2026, hoping to find safety. But rather than getting protected, "his uncle publicly demanded that he be killed and offered as a sacrifice to local deities".
He narrated how deadly the family deity is as many of the family members that were dragged before it had met one misfortune or the other.
"That day it took the divine intervention for him to escape from being dragged before our god, he miraculously escaped being arrested for killed as he had to sneak out of the community to an unknown place."
Since that day, he had been on the run, and efforts by the family or law enforcement agency to track him down has proved abortive.
"The Police had on several occasions visited the family compound searching for him, while his Uncle who is the head of the family had also invoked the spirit of the ancestors on him fuming that Osaghae Imhanzeto had brought shame to the entire family due to his involvement in gay activity, an action that is abominable to the entire clan.
Salient Times also reports that Osaghae Imhanzeto action is against the Nigeria’s laws criminalising same-sex relationships and related activities, with convictions under applicable provisions carrying severe penalties.
A human rights activts, Bolaji Sokunbi has expressed concern over reports of violence against members of the gay, citing a September 2026 report of the alleged killing of a gay man in Lagos.
“I know this is not just fear; it’s reality. People are killed openly and nothing is done,” he said.
The development highlights the difficult security and human-rights concerns faced by individuals accused of same-sex conduct in Nigeria, where such conduct remains criminalised under federal law.
All efforts to reach the state Police spokesperson, ASP Eno Nkereuwem Ikoedem proves abortive as at the timee of filing this report.
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