Man flees Nigeria after escaping death sentence over bisexuality

A Nigerian man, Mr. Orowole Fredrick Daramola, has fled the country after narrowly escaping death in his hometown of Ondo, where he was accused of engaging in same-sex activity, an act considered an abomination by his community.

Born on October 9, 1989, in Ondo Town, Daramola said he sought refugee protection in Canada to avoid persecution and possible execution due to his sexual orientation as a bisexual man.

According to information gathered, Daramola fled Nigeria after a violent incident in June 2022 that led to the death of his friend and alleged partner, Tolu, who was killed by members of their community after being caught engaging in same-sex relations.

It was reported that the hunter who caught them handed Tolu over to the village head, while Daramola managed to escape. Tolu was later killed in what villagers described as a cleansing ritual. Daramola, aware that his own life was in danger, fled to Lagos, leaving behind his wife and three children.

Bisexuality and homosexuality are widely condemned in Ondo and across many parts of Nigeria, where traditional beliefs and legal statutes classify same-sex relations as both immoral and criminal. Offenders risk imprisonment, mob attacks, or execution by jungle justice.

Daramola, who has been married since November 28, 2019, to Mrs. Rashidat Olaide Daramola, has three children — Temilola Success (born 2017), Oluwadamilare Kendrick (born 2020), and Kikiola Williams (born 2022).

The family had travelled to Ondo in June 2022 for a cultural ceremony for their youngest child when he reconnected with Tolu. They later met privately near the Igbokoda River, where the encounter that sparked the deadly chain of events occurred.

After the incident, Daramola was informed that the police had obtained a warrant for his arrest, linking him to Tolu’s death and accusing him of breaching Nigeria’s same-sex prohibition law. Facing threats from both law enforcement and community members, he went into hiding before eventually fleeing the country.

He reportedly applied for a visa on October 28, 2022, which was approved on April 24, 2023, and arrived in Canada on July 22, 2023, where he has since filed for asylum.

Daramola’s case emphasises the ongoing plight of sexual minorities in Nigeria, where the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act of 2014 prescribes up to 14 years’ imprisonment for individuals involved in same-sex relationships and fuels community-driven violence against those accused.