By Festus Adebowale
A Nigerian man, Raphael Olanrewaju Enitan, has reportedly gone into hiding after his alleged same-sex relationship with a long time male friend became public following a confrontation at a motel in December 2025.
According to information surrounding the case, Enitan had maintained a discreet relationship with Lawal Azeez, a childhood schoolmate, for several years. The relationship was reportedly exposed on December 15, 2025, when Lawal’s wife followed him to a motel and allegedly discovered the two men together.
Enitan reportedly fled the motel immediately after the discovery, fearing that the incident would expose his sexual orientation and put him at risk of arrest and violence. Shortly afterwards, Lawal’s wife allegedly reported the matter to close associates and family members of Enitan.
The situation escalated several days later when Enitan’s family reportedly informed him that police officers had visited the family home looking for him. According to an account from a reliable source who preferred to remain anonymous, the officers alleged that Enitan had been caught engaging in a same-sex relationship with Lawal.
The news reportedly spread rapidly within Enitan’s community, where members of the community allegedly began calling for his arrest and demanding that he appear before traditional elders to answer accusations concerning his sexuality.
Fearing both police arrest and violence from members of the community, Enitan reportedly moved between several locations within the country in search of a place to seek refuge. With his whereabouts allegedly being sought by police and community members, Enitan ultimately decided to go into hiding, and no one has seen him since January 2026.
His case comes against a broader background of legal and social hostility toward LGBTQ+ people in Nigeria. Same-sex sexual activity remains criminalized, with severe penalties under Nigerian law, while rights organizations have documented arrests, harassment, public exposure and other abuses involving people accused of same-sex relationships.
Enitan has since remained in hiding from those he fears may seek to locate him, as returning to his community or walking freely anywhere in the country is no longer an option as that would expose him to arrest, violence and possible persecution because of his sexual orientation.
