The Nigerians lured into a trap and blackmailed for being gay

When Nigeria passed immoderate of the toughest anti-homosexuality laws successful Africa, the net became a spot for the LGBT assemblage to link with others much safely - until transgression gangs went integer too. BBC Africa Eye investigates however blackmailers airs arsenic imaginable dates connected fashionable dating apps, lone to extort, bushed and adjacent kidnap people.

Warning: This nonfiction contains a notation to suicide

Living beingness successful concealed arsenic a cheery antheral successful Nigeria was unsafe for Mohammed.

He was ever cautious erstwhile helium planned to spot idiosyncratic - but 1 statement shattered his beingness forever.

The begetter of 3 met Jamal online. They had been chatting for immoderate clip erstwhile helium yet decided to spot him successful person. He said helium had grown fond of him, adjacent trusted him, and truthful 1 day helium met Jamal successful municipality and went backmost to his place.

Mohammed was astir to get successful the ablution but erstwhile helium had taken disconnected his clothes, a radical of men burst successful and started beating him and demanding money.

Jamal and the pack made a video of him, naked, begging them to fto him go.

"I couldn't judge that idiosyncratic I trusted could spell to the grade of doing that to me."

When the video went online, Mohammed said his beingness fell apart.

He had kept his sexuality to himself - outwardly helium was a joined antheral raising a family.

Speaking with a achromatic hood pulled implicit his caput and a disguise to conceal his identity, helium agreed to speech to the BBC arsenic agelong arsenic his anonymity was guaranteed.

"I was crying. I wanted to termination myself."

He described the infinitesimal erstwhile a telephone telephone to his lad saved him from ending it all.

"I called my kids, 3 of them. My lad told maine helium loves his father. Even if his begetter is queer, helium has nary issues with that.

"He gave maine a crushed wherefore I should not [kill myself]."

Mohammed broke down astatine this point, wrenched disconnected the achromatic hood, got up, hid his look and began to cry. Reliving what happened to him was conscionable excessively painful.

According to a radical of activists who enactment with the LGBT assemblage successful Nigeria, astir 15 to 20 radical interaction them each week with akin stories to Mohammed.

This benignant of blackmail, wherever an LGBT idiosyncratic is entrapped, is known successful Nigeria's cheery assemblage arsenic "kito" - the nonstop root of the word is unclear. BBC Africa Eye interviewed 21 radical successful each astir their experiences of being "kito'd".

Emmanuel, not his existent name, described however helium started chatting to a person online, but had not realised his friend's relationship had been hijacked. When helium arranged to conscionable up with him, helium was ambushed by a pack of astir 5 men.

"They made a video of me, and they were asking weird questions. They said: 'What's the sanction of the schoolhouse you attend? Where are you from? What's the sanction of your parents?' I knew they were going to usage that video to blackmail me. So I besides gave them incorrect information."

The pack did not station the video online, but they forced him to retreat 500,000 naira ($1,000; £860) from his accounts and tortured him with an iron.

He lifts his manus to amusement the scar that remains astatine the basal of his thumb from the attack. After sharing retired the wealth betwixt them, the pack fto him go.

"It wounded maine mentally. I don't spot anybody. I conscionable consciousness insecure."

In 2014, the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act became instrumentality successful Nigeria, and a caller 14-year situation condemnation was introduced for anyone caught entering into a same-sex matrimony declaration oregon civilian union.

It besides criminalised nationalist displays of affection betwixt same-sex couples, imposing a 10-year situation condemnation connected those who "directly oregon indirectly marque [a] nationalist amusement of [a] same-sex amorous relationship".

It banned cheery clubs, introducing a 10-year situation condemnation for anyone who registers, operates, oregon participates successful cheery clubs, societies, and organisations, including supporters of those groups.

The passing of the instrumentality had wide support, according to surveys, and meant Nigeria had immoderate of the strictest laws against homosexuality successful Africa. The 12 bluish states could already condemnation radical to decease nether Sharia, oregon Islamic law, for engaging successful homosexual acts.

The caller law, according to a study by Human Rights Watch "officially authorised abuses against LGBT people, efficaciously making a atrocious concern worse".

In 2014, media reports of violence, mob justness and extortion against LGBT radical were communal and activists accidental determination has since been an detonation successful kito cases since then.

Filmmaker Uyaiedu Ikpe-Etim, who lives openly arsenic a cheery pistillate successful Nigeria, said blackmail against LGBT radical is "rampant".

"Every different time there's a communicative connected the internet. Sometimes we person the stories wherever a idiosyncratic has been lynched to death.

"And it's the reactions from the different Nigerians. It's astir celebratory. 'Oh great, good, they termination them. They should not beryllium allowed to travel out.' And there's conscionable nary justice."

Ms Etim said what makes it adjacent harder is that the victims consciousness they cannot spell to the constabulary retired of fearfulness of being arrested oregon adjacent attacked.

"It's conscionable sad, you know."

She said the cheery community, which is forced to unrecorded online, has to beryllium cautious determination too.

"We don't person a heterosexual privilege to locomotion up to a idiosyncratic successful the streets oregon successful a edifice and beryllium like: 'Can I person your number?'"

However, immoderate instrumentality enforcement officials are moving with activists to halt the blackmailers.

BBC Africa Eye spoke to an serviceman with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). He works alongside a squad of activists who airs online arsenic LGBT radical looking to conscionable a imaginable partner. The purpose is to instrumentality the blackmailers.

"For me, there's cipher that is supra instrumentality successful the country. Blackmailing is simply a precise atrocious offence. It's a precise large crime," helium said, speaking to the BBC connected information of anonymity.

"If anybody brings a lawsuit to my array concerning immoderate lawsuit of blackmailing of a cheery person, I volition hunt for them. Definitely."

The victims interaction the squad of activists with the blackmailers' names and photos. They successful crook nonstop the accusation to the NSCDC, which begins the process of snaring the criminals.

"Wherever they are, I privation to archer them determination is nary hiding spot for blackmailers successful Nigeria."

The occupation they look is persuading victims to attest successful court. In a state wherever being cheery whitethorn nonstop you to jail, fewer radical would basal up and beryllium honorable astir their sexuality.

It means the blackmailers are seldom prosecuted.

And determination is small solace for the victims.

Many of the radical BBC Africa Eye interviewed had mislaid their jobs since the blackmail videos went online. Some had been evicted from their homes, others estranged from their families. All of them were struggling with their intelligence health.

For Mohammed, who had adjacent considered ending his ain life, determination remains a consciousness of shame arsenic the movie of him has stayed online.

"I cognize they are inactive watching the video," helium said.