Amina*, the mother of 12-year-old Alameen*, noticed a change in his behaviour. The playful and active child who once roamed the streets of Nursing Quarters in Bauchi Town, Bauchi State, had become withdrawn and flinched at sudden movements.
This sudden change made Mrs Amina worried. When washing his underwear, she found faeces, which was shocking as that hadn’t happened since he was much younger. When she examined him, she discovered festering wounds and sores around his anus, which were damaged to the extent that he could not control his bowels.
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Hysterical, she pressed him on what she feared had happened. It took some time and persuasion for him to reveal that three men in the neighbourhood had been sexually abusing him.
The case was reported to the police at the Tafawa Balewa Estate division on 16 July and transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Bauchi.
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Two of the alleged abusers were arrested and detained, but the third one, said to be attending the police academy, is still walking freely.
A medical report revealed that Alameen’s internal anal sphincter had been dislodged.
Shuaibu*, the victim’s father, said the alleged abusers are well-known young men in their 20s. He said they had threatened to kill Alameen if he revealed what they did to him.
Mr Shuaibu also faced backlash for ignoring the pleas of family and community members to resolve the case “quietly” without involving the police. One of the alleged abuser’s close relationships with a member of the National Assembly has made the case even more difficult to prosecute.
“The lawmaker suggested that we resolve the matter without taking it up to the police, saying the issue will ruin the career of the alleged abuser who is currently at the police academy,” Mr Shuaibu recounted.
“I flatly refused and said I must get justice for my son. Since then, I have not heard from him,’’ he narrated.
According to a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the Bauchi State Command, Ahmed Wakil, and sent to PREMIUM TIMES, a formal complaint was submitted on 16 July by the father of the 12-year-old victim.
The press release confirms that two suspects, Lukman Mohammed (30) and Musa Halilu (32), were apprehended following the report. The third suspect, identified only as Alkasim, is still at large.
The statement also indicates that the victim was referred for a medical examination at a specialist hospital in Bauchi.
It also includes details from a witness, a watchman, who saw one of the suspects, Mr Halilu, pursuing the boy on two separate occasions. According to the PPRO, the watchman had previously cautioned the boy to stay away from the suspects.
The legal tangle
Nigeria operates a complex dual legal system, encompassing common law (which covers federal and state secular laws) and Sharia law, which is the Islamic legal system applied in most northern states.
This legal pluralism varies across jurisdictions, which creates substantial jurisdictional complexities.
For individuals accused of sodomy or related offences, survival becomes a matter of geography as different penalties and judicial processes depend on their location and, in the northern states, their religious beliefs.
In 2014, former President Goodluck Jonathan signed the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act that prohibits same sex marriage, same-sex “amorous relationships” and membership of gay rights groups.
Offences attract penalties of up to 14 years’ imprisonment. Before signing the bill, the criminal and penal codes outlawed same sex marriage/relationships, and the bill criminalises these acts.
The Sharia Penal Code Law 2001 is the main body of civil and criminal law in 12 northern Nigerian states. The law condemns Liwat (sodomy) or consensual sexual activity by people of the same sex. These attract a maximum penalty of death by stoning (rajm) for married men and 100 lashes and imprisonment for unmarried men, and generally by any other means decided by the state.
The Shariah law criminalises sexual relationships of the same sex, under section 284 of the Penal Code: “Whoever has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 14 years and shall also be liable to fine.”
Cross-dressing is also criminalised across these jurisdictions.
Hisbah, the Islamic police corps, enforces Shariah laws in 12 Northern states in Nigeria.
The Commander of the Hisbah in Bauchi State, Muhammed Bununu, explained that, “Sodomy is a crime under both Islamic law and secular law.”
Mr Bununu said conviction in a Sharia court should lead to the death penalty in most cases, but many appeal their cases to the high court.
“Sentences are then converted to imprisonment in most cases. However, some do not appeal their case, and in that instance, the governor of a state has to sign the approval for the execution,” he said.
He, however, said so far, no one has faced the penalty for thein crime in Bauchi State.
Justice or given another chance?
According to the Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey 2024 by the National Bureau of Statistics, at least 1.4 million people experienced sexual offences.
The report indicated that “during the specified period, sexual offences, including rape, occurred at a rate of 800 per 100,000 individuals.”
This figure breaks down to 1,300 out of every 100,000 females and 200 out of every 100,000 males reporting experiences of sexual assault in Nigeria. The report did not include convictions.
The report, however, vanished when the website was affected by a cyber-attack. The attack was linked to the controversial findings of the report.
The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) reported 31 convictions of sexual related offences between 2020 and 2024. Checks by this reporter also show that no other website has an updated number of crimes or convictions regarding cases of sexual violence concerning children.
The lack of justice is echoed in Alameen’s case.
Mr Ahmed said the first hearing for the case is scheduled for 4 September.
“The delay in detaining the third alleged abuser is dragging the process because an influential person is involved in the case. In this era of technology, any letter sent should not take more than a week to be responded to,” he said bitterly.
A larger problem?
Unfortunately, Alameen’s is not an isolated case. In January, Mallam Kawu Rehabilitation Centre, Bauchi, was raided by the Hisbah Corps following a complaint by one Yahaya Yusuf.
Mr Yusuf, 21, alleged that the founder of the centre raped him on several occasions. “He [the cleric] invites you to his room with the pretext of doing a massage for him, then he inserts your hand in his trousers,” Mr Yusuf narrated to the police.
He reported the case after he found out he was HIV positive during a State Security Service (SSS) health screening.
He also alleged that over 400 students were crowded in eight bedrooms at the centre, and students were being treated poorly, given only a small amount of food without regard for their health.
Following a raid, the police and Hisbah found over 300 students at the centre. The accused was detained for a month before he was released on bail. The case is still in court.
Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES, Mbami Illiya, a human rights activist and the Executive Director of the Council for Affirmative Action, said most cases the organisation handles occur between Almajiris (children who roam the streets but are supposed to be learning Quranic education under an Islamic teacher) and older men.
“When someone reports an incident of abuse and they are caught, people tend to take matters into their own hands, and both parties suffer the consequences rather than just the abusers,” Mr Illiya said.
“Even when caught by the authorities, both parties often have to get bail.”
The Council for Affirmative Action advocates for the protection of sexual minorities in Bauchi State and offers support and rehabilitation to the victims.
The survivors’ experiences
Findings by this newspaper show that some victims and their families, fearing stigmatisation, victim-blaming, and lacking money to take cases to court, choose not to report incidents to the authorities.
Issues like homosexuality and sodomy bring cultural and religious stigma. “Parents of the abused even prefer the case being resolved without involving the police to avoid attention,” Mr Illiya stated.
However, Mr Shuaibu, Alameen’s father, has a different perspective on this issue. He wants justice and believes the alleged abusers should be ashamed because they did something disgusting.
“I am ready to fight this case to the best of my ability, and I am hopeful for the support of the police and government,” he said..
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The Psychological Toll
Rape has a lasting effect on the psychology of survivors. They may suffer from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, alcoholism and drug abuse, suicidal thoughts and attempts, and have problems with intimate relationships.
A resident psychiatrist at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, Yakubu Fawaz, said, “When abuse happens, it will keep on recurring to the victim, making them overthink, and they develop a sense of guilt, thereby shifting the blame from the abuser to themselves.”
Mr Fawaz said this makes the survivors develop psychological disorders like depression and anxiety.
He stressed the importance of public enlightenment and community sensitisation to break the silence. Not just through radio and TV programmes, but also by holding open conversations that dismantle the stigma surrounding male survivors.
“It is only when we begin conversations about these epidemic issues that we can have a solid solution to them,” he said.
Editor’s Note: Names with asterisks have been changed to protect the child victim and his parents.
This reporting was completed with the support of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID)
