Nelson Dafe, Benin City

About four years after being caught in the act of engaging in sexual activity with another man in one of the most religiously volatile regions of Nigeria, the whereabouts of a fleeing Nigerian man remains a mystery.

On April 7, 2016 teenager Mohammad Masa was caught pants down with another young man simply named as Terry in a compromising sexual position in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State by an unsuspecting neighbour who raised an alarm to alert other neighbours to the scene.

According to a close source familiar with the incident, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, policemen were quickly alerted to the scene but just before they could apprehend him, Masa managed to escape while Terry was arrested.

“From interrogations, Terry revealed that the day they were caught was his birthday and that Masa had come to pay him a visit the previous evening from Maiduguri. He added that he didnt initially consent to his sexual advances but caved in due to the alcohol he had taken,” the source toldNews Express.

It is on record, according to the source, that the police are still looking for Masa as he was declared wanted.

Bama has been a hotbed of violence involving the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram and the Nigerian government forces.

News Expressreached out to some family members of the accused who are worried about the whereabouts of Masa. A relative stated: “We have not seen Mohammad for about four years now since he was allegedly caught having sex with another man. Although we know that his sexuality has been an issue and a subject of rumors for years prior to his being busted, and we are not approving at all of a same sex lifestyle ,he is still our blood and we are concerned about what must have happened to him. Is he dead or alive, we don’t know and that is very disconcerting.”

Given the open knowledge of his sexuality and the lynching that he faces in Nigeria if seen, it is also feared that Masa, whom his relative described as suicidal, may have taken his own life.

“Mohammad told me some years ago that he was considering taking his life because he felt confused and alone. I talked him out of the idea by pointing out to him that is totally unIslamic to entertain that idea. Maybe he still haboured such thoughts,” the relative added.

Homosexuality is an illegal offence in Nigeria that carries a 14-year jail sentence as penalty.