Nigerian police are investigating the demise of a Nigerian transgender TikToker often known as “Abuja Space Mama”.
The overwhelmed and bruised physique of 33-year-old transgender lady was discovered alongside a freeway within the capital, Abuja, on Thursday, native media report.
Abuja Space Mama had a loyal fan base on social media, the place she posted about being transgender and her life as a intercourse employee. She by no means used her full title, referring to herself generally as Ifeanyi.
Nigeria is a deeply conservative society and individuals who step exterior the norms are sometimes focused. Final yr the TikToker informed of how she had been attacked and feared for her life.
Similar-sex relationships are criminalised in Africa’s most-populous nation and plenty of LGBTQ+ Nigerians reside in concern.
Nigerian TikTokers who’re perceived to homosexual have additionally turn out to be the goal of homophobic abuse on-line.
In her last post on Instagram on Wednesday, Abuja Space Mama had mentioned she was on the point of go and see her boyfriend.
Hours later, her physique was discovered alongside Katampe – Mabushi expressway within the Banex, Wuse II space of Abuja, in what’s suspected to be a homicide incident.
A group of detectives visited the scene on Thursday morning and “preliminary investigations revealed that the person was a person absolutely wearing feminine clothes with no technique of identification on him”, a police assertion mentioned.
Abuja police chief Benneth Igweh has since ordered a “thorough and discreet” investigation into the demise.
Final September, the TikToker mentioned she had been stabbed by an unidentified individual in what have been unclear circumstances.
On her TikTok profile, she described herself as “the primary Abuja cross-dresser and queen of the road”.
She mentioned her posts have been meant to be a mirrored image of her life and educate her followers.
The information of her demise has sparked an outpouring of grief on social media.
Despite the fact that Nigeria’s legal guidelines assure freedom from discrimination and the appropriate to personal and household life, mass arrests and detention of these within the LGBTQ+ neighborhood are widespread – particularly in northern states.
“Taking legal guidelines into your hand since you don’t love one other individual’s sexual orientation is the worst type of inhumanity,” Martins Ifijeh, a local journalist, posted on X.
