The Emir of Gwandu, and the Chairman Kebbi Council of Chiefs, Muhammadu Bashar has blamed homosexuals for the problem of insecurity in Nigeria
The Emir of Gwandu, and the Chairman Kebbi Council of Chiefs, Muhammadu Bashar has blamed homosexuals for the problem of insecurity in Nigeria. In his Sallah message, the Emir said: “The society today is bedeviled by cases of rape, homosexuality, lesbianism, kidnapping and rampant killings which resulted in the present insecurity Nigeria is faced with”.
So, homosexuality and lesbianism are the cause of attacks and killings across the nation? Really?
I mean, how did the Emir arrive at this odious conclusion? What is the connection between homosexuality and security challenges in the country? How is homosexuality causing insecurity? Are gays and lesbians behind the Boko Haram attacks? Are homosexuals the herdsmen or the Myetti Allah militants who are waging a murderous campaign against innocent Nigerian citizens? How are sexual acts between same-sex individuals fueling attacks, killings, and insecurity?
If the Emir is afraid of speaking truth to power, he should leave homosexuals alone. If the Emir is unable to hold the government accountable and responsible for insecurity in the country then he should stop scapegoating sexual minorities. He should desist from inciting violence against innocent persons who have nothing to do with the security challenges in the country. Emir of Gwandu needs to heed the advice from President Buhari who, in his Sallah message, urged Muslims to eschew extremism, hatred and indiscriminate violence. Emir ought to avoid making homophobic statements and giving Islam a bad name. He should use the Sallah message to foster love, peace, and respect for all persons. Homosexuality is not a vicious act. Lesbianism is not criminal behavior and should not be placed on the same box as kidnapping and murder.
So, Emir of Gwandu, do not blame homosexuals because they have no connection with the security challenges that Nigeria is facing at the moment. Salaam!
Leo Igwe (born July 26, 1970) is a Nigerian human rights advocate and humanist. Igwe is a former Western and Southern African representative of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, and has specialized in campaigning against and documenting the impacts of child witchcraft accusations. He holds a Ph.D from the Bayreuth International School of African Studies at the University of Bayreuth in Germany, having earned a graduate degree in Philosophy from the University of Calabar in Nigeria. Igwe’s human rights advocacy has brought him into conflict with high-profile witchcraft believers, such as Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries, because of his criticism of what he describes as their role in the violence and child abandonment that sometimes result from accusations of witchcraft. His human rights fieldwork has led to his arrest on several occasions in Nigeria. Igwe has held leadership roles in the Nigerian Humanist Movement, Atheist Alliance International, and the Center For Inquiry—Nigeria. In 2012, Igwe was appointed as a Research Fellow of the James Randi Educational Foundation, where he continues working toward the goal of responding to what he sees as the deleterious effects of superstition, advancing skepticism throughout Africa and around the world. In 2014, Igwe was chosen as a laureate of the International Academy of Humanism and in 2017 received the Distinguished Services to Humanism Award from the International Humanist and Ethical Union.
Igwe was raised in southeastern Nigeria, and describes his household as being strictly Catholic in the midst of a “highly superstitious community,” according to an interview in the Gold Coast Bulletin.[1] At age twelve, Igwe entered the seminary, beginning to study for the Catholic priesthood, but later was confused by conflicting beliefs between Christian theology and the beliefs in witches and wizards that are “entrenched in Nigerian society.”[1] After a period of research and internal conflict due to doubts about the “odd blend of tribalism and fundamentalist Christianity he believes is stunting African development,” a 24-year-old Igwe resigned from the seminary and relocated to Ibadan, Nigeria
