REPORT: GAY MAN STONED TO DEATH

There are reports that a Nigerian man was stoned to death in northern Cameroon on Sunday after he was found allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old boy.

According to camnews24.com, Lamine Goche, a wholesale medicine supplier, was murdered by a crowd in the Central Market of Maroua, after he was caught in the act in his shop.

A street child alerted fellow traders to the activity in the shop by crying out “Samaroka! Samaroka!” (homosexual in the Fulfulde language).

Said to be in his thirties, Goche was an Islamic teacher, a fact which is likely to have added to the crowd’s fury.

One merchant was quoted as saying: “We suspected for years. But Allah did not give us an opportunity to act. … Today Allah answered our prayers and we surprised him.”

Another commented: “We had never seen him in action, especially because he was hiding beneath religious attire and pious behaviour.”

Goche’s body is reported to have been left out by the attackers and was later buried by Christians. The 17-year-old was taken to the district chief. His fate is unknown.

Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Cameroon, with penalties including imprisonment of up to five years.

In November, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said it was “deeply concerned” about the plight of LGBT people in Cameroon.

The office’s Rupert Colville said he was worried about ongoing reports of the harassment, intimidation, arrest and imprisonment of individuals on suspicion of being lesbian or gay.