I am being hunted for my brother’s offence — Woman cries out

A middle-aged woman, Mrs Funke Ajayi, has cried out for help, claiming her life is in danger due to continuous harassment by security operatives and members of her community over an alleged offence committed by her younger brother.

Mrs Ajayi’s brother, Osomode Olamide, a resident of Ikoyi community in Ikere Ekiti, was accused of engaging in a same-sex relationship with his male friend, Emmanuel Sunday—an act punishable under Nigerian law.

Speaking at her residence in Ikere Ekiti while receiving friends and neighbours who came to sympathise with her, Mrs Ajayi revealed that security operatives had been trailing her brother, who has gone into hiding, and were now targeting her instead.

“For the past three years, since they accused Olamide and his friend Sunday of same-sex activities, I have not had peace of mind. Many people assume I know where he is, and security operatives have intensified their search, making my life unbearable,” she lamented.

She further recounted how, just last Monday, two men claiming to be police officers visited her home, threatening to arrest her unless she revealed her brother’s whereabouts.

Mrs Ajayi, who broke down in tears while narrating her ordeal, said she had been subjected to repeated harassment from youths in her community since 2023. She described a particularly harrowing incident late last year when three men on a motorcycle tracked her to her home.

“One of them attempted to shoot me as I tried to escape, but by God’s grace, I slammed the gate against them in time,” she recalled.

According to her, the gang leader eventually convinced his accomplices not to harm her, acknowledging that she was not the one accused of any crime. However, since that encounter, she has lived in constant fear.

The distressed woman is now appealing to the Ikoyi Community Development Association to intervene on her behalf, as she fears reporting the matter to the police due to the nature of her brother’s alleged offence.