A Lagos-based family is in quandary
over the whereabouts of a lady who disappeared from home after she was accused
of being bisexual.
The 36-year-old lady, identified as
Judith Yakubu, hails from Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State and
has not been seen since 2013 when she was accused of the illicit sexual act by
her husband.
A family source said that apart from
the fact that homosexuality and lesbianism have been criminalised in Nigeria,
it was a taboo in their community with grave consequences.
The source said that Judith was
accused by her husband at the time of having sexual relationship with a lady
after he eavesdropped on her conversation with a friend on the phone.
Her alleged act reportedly led to
the untimely death of her uncle and foster father, one Mr. Ademu Yakubu,
who was said to have committed suicide due to the shame and stigma it brought
on the family.
Since her disappearance, the family
has not been able to perform a cleansing ritual required by the community in
order to stop the frequent cases of mysterious illnesses that have struck the
family.
It is believed that for fear for her
life, the lady may have fled the country after several attempts to prove her
innocence failed.
Another source, a lady who craved
anonymity, claimed Judith confessed to her that she was introduced to
female-to-female relationship by her secondary school classmate when they were
in Class Five (now SS3).
She said they were living in
Ajegunle in Lagos State then.
According to her, Judith said she
tried to stop the act when she got married but she could not until her former
husband found out.
She said even the manner of her
uncle’s death was a taboo in the community and that it took more than a year
for him to be buried after some appeasement rituals were performed at the
village shrine.
"The family is in a serious
dilemma because of the allegation against Judith. She needs to prove her
innocence before our village shrine. That is our belief and it has nothing to
do with whether we believe in God as Christians or not.
"Without her physical presence,
we cannot perform the cleansing ritual required to stop the mysterious
illnesses and death that has hit the family. Several pastors have prayed but it
has not abated," she said.
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Society