PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria — Nigeria’s LGBTIQ+ community is mourning the death of a queer man who was allegedly lured by criminals posing as romantic partners before being brutally attacked and thrown from a two-storey building in Port Harcourt.
The victim, identified as Hilary, was taken to hospital following the assault but succumbed to severe spinal injuries, according to multiple reports.
The killing is believed to be the latest in a series of “kito” attacks — a Nigerian term describing a predatory practice where criminals use dating apps and social media to target queer men by pretending to seek romantic connections. Perpetrators then assault, rob, kidnap, and blackmail their victims, often threatening to expose their sexuality to family or community members.
Calls for Investigation
Amnesty International has called on Nigerian authorities to immediately investigate Hilary’s death. “The Nigerian authorities must immediately and transparently investigate the killing of Hilary who was pushed from a two-storey building in a suspected homophobic attack in Port Harcourt Rivers State,” the human rights organization stated on social media.
The organization added that Hilary represents “yet another victim of rampant Kito — a trap in which victims are lured via dating apps or social media, then robbed, assaulted, extorted or blackmailed with threats to out their sexuality.”
Pattern of Violence
The Initiative for Equal Rights (TIERs), a Nigerian advocacy group, documented 84 known kito cases in 2024 alone, describing them as “the most consistent human rights violation perpetrated by non-state actors” against queer Nigerians. Victims reportedly endured “sexual abuse, physical assault, torture, blackmail, invasion of privacy, degrading treatment and extortion.”
Survivors of such attacks face significant barriers to justice. In Nigeria, where homosexuality remains criminalized, reporting these crimes to police often puts victims at risk of arrest themselves.
Anti-LGBTIQ+ violence remains widespread in Nigeria, where the 2014 Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act criminalizes same-sex marriages and relationships with penalties of up to 14 years in prison. Public displays of same-sex affection or involvement in LGBTIQ+ organizations can result in up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
In 12 northern states, Shari’a-based criminal laws impose the death penalty for individuals convicted of homosexuality.The hostile legal climate is exacerbated by both state actions and attacks by non-state actors. Police have publicly paraded individuals arrested for homosexuality before media cameras and have reportedly used dating apps themselves to entrap and blackmail queer Nigerians with threats of arrest and prosecution.
Human rights advocates say transgender individuals and others who do not conform to gender stereotypes face particularly acute danger in this environment.
Hashtag #JusticeForHilary has emerged on social media as activists demand accountability for his death.
