- Eyewitness account reveals how a waiter’s alarm sparked a deadly night of violence in Delta State
AGBOR, DELTA STATE – Tuesday, March 1, 2016
A man identified as Anthony Ikeduba was beaten to death by a mob of youths at the Royal Infinity Hotel in the Umunede area of Agbor, Delta State, on Tuesday night, after a hotel waiter publicly raised an alarm alleging that Ikeduba and a companion were engaged in a same-sex act on the hotel premises.
A second man, Kelvin Emuebie, sustained serious injuries in the attack but managed to escape with his life. No arrests had been made as of press time.
According to an eyewitness who spoke to the Ika Weekly Newspaper on condition of anonymity, the evening at the Royal Infinity Hotel had been unremarkable until a staff member on the floor, a waiter, spotted the two men and chose to make a public announcement rather than handle the matter discreetly.
“He raised an alarm — loudly, publicly,” the witness told this reporter. “His voice cut through the noise of the bar and he announced to everyone that the two men were homosexual.”
What followed was swift and savage. Within moments, the relaxed atmosphere of the hotel bar collapsed into chaos. Patrons who had been seated quietly rose to their feet. A mob formed rapidly, and both Ikeduba and Emuebie were physically seized and dragged to a corner of the hotel premises.
The eyewitness, visibly shaken in recounting the events, described what came next.
“They were beaten with sticks and metal objects. The blows were not measured or restrained. They were delivered with rage, with the full force of a crowd that had decided these two men deserved to suffer.”
As the violence escalated inside the hotel compound, noise from the commotion spilled into the street outside.
Shouts drew in more residents from the surrounding area, swelling the mob further. Some individuals present reportedly attempted to intervene and pull the two men to safety, but were largely overwhelmed by the crowd’s numbers and fury.
In the confusion, Kelvin Emuebie broke free and fled the scene. He was reported to be in a serious but stable condition. Anthony Ikeduba, however, could not escape.
Overwhelmed and unable to flee, he succumbed to the injuries inflicted upon him by the mob. He was confirmed dead at the scene.
Residents in the Umunede area of Agbor were largely tight-lipped when approached by this reporter, with several declining to comment. Those who spoke did so anonymously, citing fear of reprisal.
No senior official of the Delta State Police Command had issued a formal statement on the incident at the time of filing this report. The Ika Weekly Newspaper has reached out to the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer for comment and is awaiting a response.
The attack comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act of 2014, which criminalizes same-sex relationships and carries penalties of up to 14 years imprisonment. Human rights observers have long warned that such legislation emboldens vigilante violence against individuals perceived to be gay.
The eyewitness, who says he has since left Agbor fearing for his own safety as someone known to be associated with both victims, told this newspaper he sees no prospect of justice.
“I was there. I saw everything. But I also know what this country is,” he said. “The same law that was meant to protect people is the one being used to justify killing them.”
No human rights organization had formally taken up the case as of press time, though this newspaper understands that details of the incident are beginning to circulate within civil society networks in Lagos and Abuja.
The Ika Weekly calls on the Delta State Government and the Inspector General of Police to ensure that a thorough and transparent investigation is conducted into the circumstances surrounding the death of Anthony Ikeduba, and that those responsible including the hotel staff member whose public alarm precipitated the violence – are brought before the law.
