Police arrest six suspected homosexuals in Edo(Photo)

The Nigeria Police have arrested six men for allegedly engaging in acts of homosexuality in different areas within Benin, the Edo State capital.

The Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 5, AIG Musa Daura, who paraded the suspects on Thursday, said that they were arrested on May 9, 2016, by operatives of the zonal anti-vice section.

Daura listed the suspects to include Festus Osagiede (24), Hyacinth Imahanrebhor (20), Itama Omon (25), Onwukwe Prince (28), Monye Chukwuma (23) and Osadebe Kelvin‎ (26), adding they confessed to have been committing the crime since 2006.

According to him, one of them, Osagiede, said to be the leader of the gang, first committed the crime when he had carnal knowledge ‎of the third suspect after attending a Benin night club in 2006.

“After the third suspect (Itama) got drunk, Festus Osagiede took him to his house and forcefully had carnal knowledge of him.

“Since then, they have been committing the crime with others at large until May, 2016, when luck ran out of them and they swooped on by zonal detectives,” Daura said.

‎The youngest among the suspects, Hyacinth, said that he was forced into the act by Osagiede, whom he claimed also threatened to kill him if he disclosed it to anyone.

He said, “It all happened late last year, when I was returning from a birthday party at night. I was unable get public transport back home.

“I met Festus on my way; he asked me why I was roaming about. I said that I could pass the night at his place.

“That night, he touched me. In the course shouting at him, he forcefully penetrated me and it got me sick.

“He said that if I told anybody, he knows where to find me and my family, that he would kill me.”

However, the AIG who described the crime as a disturbing trend, said many of the perpetrators formed cliques‎, saying the suspects would be charged to court on Friday.

“You would agree with me that this offence is an offence against humanity and nature, an abominable act that should be condemned in every ramification by all,”‎ he said.

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