No fewer than 41 suspected homosexuals have been arrested by security operatives in Bauchi State.
The suspects were arrested during a joint operation by men of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Bauchi State command.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Kamal Abubakar, who confirmed the incident, said the police had charged 37 of the suspects to court.
He said, “Although we gathered through intelligence reports that the suspects were homosexuals, we did not charge them to court as homosexuals or lesbians since we did not catch them in the act. But we charged them for being public nuisance since they were arrested at a birthday party.”
Abubakar, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, reiterated the commitment of the police to protect lives and property of residents.
The Bauchi State Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Alhaji Ado Zigau, said the suspects were arrested based on intelligence reports.
He said, “Intelligence reports revealed that some lesbians and homosexuals planned a gathering at the Federal Secretariat Conference Hall. Security operatives were mobilised to the scene and they arrested quite a number of the suspects. Each security team arrested some suspects and took them to their office for interrogation.”
Meanwhile the state command of the NSCDC paraded four of the suspects.
The Public Relations Officer of the corps, DSC Garkuwa Adamu, said, “On September 1, 2018, intelligence information revealed that some group of youths suspected to be homosexuals were having a meeting at the Federal Secretariat and we swung into action and arrested four suspects.
“The suspects are Abubakar Adamu, 18; Usman Abubakar, 20; Dalhatu Hassan, 19; and Mukhtar Mohammed, 20.
“We recovered three Jincheng motorcycles, one Haojue ladies motorcycle, one generator, three birthday cakes, four GSM phones and other souvenirs during the operation,” he said.
One of the suspects, Abubakar Adamu, denied being a gay.
He said “We are not gay; we don’t have lesbians among us. I organised a birthday party and invited my friends. I sat with a female friend when I was arrested. I am a tailor and we followed due process and applied to use the Federal Secretariat Conference Hall, which they gave us.
“After we finished the birthday, security operatives came in and arrested us. But we are not homosexuals and we don’t belong to any association.”
When asked how he got money to organise the birthday, he said “I am a tailor. My customers pay me between N400 and N2,500. My friends contributed some of the items. I have learnt my lesson and I will not organise a birthday party again.”
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