A 39-year-old Nigerian citizen, Mr Timothy Akatakpo, has fled to Canada for safety and freedom after enduring alleged persecution due to his bisexual identity.
A father and graduate, Akatakpo’s story reveals the grim reality faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in Nigeria, where societal stigma and harsh legal frameworks threaten their lives and freedoms.
Born in Ughelli North, Delta State, the Business Administration graduate from the Delta State University, is the father of a six-year-old girl, Gloria.
He first became aware of his bisexual nature during puberty, a discovery that was accompanied by fear due to Nigeria’s conservative culture.
During his years at King’s College Lagos (1997–2003), he began exploring his identity in secret, maintaining relationships discreetly to avoid suspicion.
At the university, Akatakpo found a supportive network of LGBTQ+ peers and together, they navigated the challenges of living in a society that criminalises their existence, presenting outward appearance of heterosexual relationships to protect themselves.
Despite the efforts, Akatakpo and his community lived in constant fear of exposure.
On March 7, 2021, he attended an alumni gathering at Residency Hotel, Dunukofia in Anambra State, which also served as an LGBTQ+ social event.
The police and the Department of State Services (DSS) security service personnel, acting on a tip-off, raided the event, arresting several attendees, including Akatakpo’s partner, Fred.
He narrowly escaped, but the raid marked the beginning of an aggressive campaign by law enforcement agents to track down other attendees.
On June 21, 2021, the police and DSS officers visited Akatakpo’s workplace, D Place Restaurant and Bar, seeking his arrest.
Consequently, he fled Delta State and went to Lagos where he stayed with his cousin, Mr Kekere Stephen who did not know Akatakpo’s bisexual identity hidden.
On October 23, 2023, Akatakpo lost his father and decided to travel to Delta State to arrange for the funeral.
While he was away, security operatives still determined to arrest him traced Akatakpo to Stephen’s house in Lagos.
Not finding Akatakpo, the operatives arrested, interrogated and tortured Stephen, accusing him of harbouring Akatakpo whom they alleged had run afoul of Nigeria’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
Feeling betrayed, Stephen reported Akatakpo’s bisexuality to the family in Delta State.
The revelation pitted Akatakpo against his family that was alarmed by what it regarded as a taboo and declared him an outcast and insisted on subjecting him to grueling traditional ritual of cleansing.
As if that was not enough, the family members were ready to hand him over to the police for prosecution and when they could not succeed, they sought help from the community and traced him to a hotel in Ughelli, where they attacked him.
He survived the attack and fled to Ibadan, Oyo State where he stayed with a friend between October and December 2023.
In Ibadan, he lived in constant fear and was always looking over his shoulder whenever he walked in the streets.
His only hope was in the approved student visa to Canada, which he got on June 6, 2023.
On December 12, 2023, Akatakpo left for Canada, thereby marking the end of his physical escape but the beginning of his fight for asylum in the North American country.
Akatakpo’s fear is rooted in Nigeria’s Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (2013), which imposes severe penalties on LGBTQ+ individuals, including 14-year imprisonment for entering into same-sex unions, a 10-year sentence for participating in or supporting LGBTQ+ organisations or public displays of same-sex relationships, and 10-year jail term for aiding or abetting LGBTQ+ activities.
Akatakpo has provided detailed accounts of his persecution, including but not limited to the March 7, 2021 raid and subsequent police investigation and injuries sustained during his ordeal in Nigeria.
