Follow Us on Google
By Robert Ndanusi
Six suspected homosexuals have been arrested by policemen from the office of the Zone 5 Police Headquarters in Benin.
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the zone, Alhaji Musa Daura, disclosed this yesterday while addressing journalists, noting that the arrest was carried out by operatives of the Zonal Anti-Vice Section, acting on credible information.
The suspects were identified as Festus Osagiede, male, 24; Hyacinth Vincent Omahanrebho, male, 20; Itama Omon, male, 25; Onwuka Prince, male, 48; Monye Samuel Chukwuka, male, 23; and Osadebe Kelvin, male, 26. Daura explained that five of the suspects were apprehended at their hideout located at No. 12 Ikpoba Slope, while Osadebe Kelvin was later arrested behind Benson Idahosa University on May 11, at about 6:00 a.m., while attempting to escape from Benin City.
Security sources revealed that a manhunt is underway for two alleged kingpins of a suspected homosexual network, identified as Ibharokhonre Arnold Samuel and Ebenezer Akins. According to Daura, the duo, described as the major financiers of the group’s activities, fled moments before operatives moved in, in what authorities described as a “well-coordinated escape.”
He urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report any sightings of Ibharokhonre Arnold Samuel or Ebenezer Akins to the nearest security post, warning that shielding the suspects could attract serious legal consequences. He assured that the ongoing manhunt would not stop until both men are in custody to face the full weight of the law.
Daura further stated that the arrested suspects had confessed to being homosexuals and admitted to having carnal knowledge of one another on several occasions at their hideout. Preliminary investigations, he said, revealed that the suspects had been committing the offence since 2006.
“The leader of the gang and principal suspect, Festus Osagiede, first committed the crime with the third suspect, Itama Omon, in 2006 when both attended a nightclub in Benin City. After Omon became intoxicated, Osagiede took him to his house and forcefully had carnal knowledge of him. Since then, they had been engaging in the act until May 9, 2016, when luck ran out on them and they were arrested by the zonal detectives,” Daura stated.
The AIG reiterated that homosexuality is an offence against humanity and nature, describing it as an abominable act that should be condemned in every ramification. He advised parents and guardians to monitor their children closely.
It will be recalled that in January 2014, former President Goodluck Jonathan signed into law the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, which makes it illegal for gay people to even hold meetings. The law also criminalizes homosexual clubs, associations, and organizations, with penalties of up to 14 years in prison.
