By crime correspondent
A family has alleged that its members were forced to flee their home after armed men attacked their residence while searching for a relative whose sexual orientation had allegedly made him a target of hostility.
Speaking with our correspondent, Abdulraheem Muiz recounted how his family's ordeal escalated from years of rejection and intimidation to what he described as a violent attack that left their 59-year-old father injured and the family displaced.
According to Muiz, the crisis began years earlier after his elder brother, Saheed Abdulraheem, was allegedly ostracised within their religious community over his sexual orientation.
He said Saheed was raised in a devout Muslim family where same-sex relationships were strongly condemned.
Muiz alleged that the first major incident occurred when Saheed was about 14 years old after an encounter involving a childhood friend became known within the community. He claimed the matter was reported to family members and leaders of their local mosque, where Saheed was questioned, publicly flogged and suspended from attending the mosque for two months.
"The incident changed everything. He became withdrawn and lived in fear because people kept talking about him. He was constantly bullied by other children and struggled to fit in," Muiz alleged.
According to him, Saheed later gained admission to the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, where he hoped to begin a new chapter, but continued to conceal his identity because he feared discrimination.
Muiz said that while pursuing his Higher National Diploma, Saheed developed a close relationship with a fellow student identified simply as Lawal, adding that both men kept the relationship private.
He further alleged that events took a dramatic turn in August 2025 after Lawal was arrested during what he described as a police raid on a private gathering in Lagos.
According to Muiz, officers allegedly examined Lawal's mobile phone and discovered photographs and videos linking him to Saheed, who was outside Nigeria at the time.
"Shortly after the arrest, security operatives came to our family house looking for my brother. That was when we realised the matter had become very serious," he claimed.
Muiz also alleged that Lawal later died while in custody, although he did not provide official documentation confirming the circumstances of the death.
He further claimed that after the incident, some relatives of the deceased blamed Saheed for the relationship, while some religious leaders allegedly insisted he should be brought home for spiritual and traditional rites intended to change his sexual orientation.
The situation, he alleged, reached its peak on June 17, 2026, when armed men invaded the family's residence in search of Saheed.
"They came looking for my brother. When they couldn't find him, they attacked members of the family. My father tried to protect us, but he was cut on the leg with a machete. They also vandalised the house before leaving. Since that day, none of us has felt safe," Muiz alleged.
A medico-legal report from Solomon Jayden Medical Centre, seen by our correspondent, confirmed that the family's patriarch, Raheem Ominiyi Musa, received treatment for a cutlass injury to his lower leg following an incident on June 17, 2026.
The report stated that the wound healed with residual scarring but noted that the patient continued to experience recurring traumatic memories, nightmares, anxiety, sleep disturbance, hypervigilance and fear for his safety and that of his son.
The attending physician concluded that the symptoms were consistent with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, the report also stated that the account of how the injury occurred was based on the patient's narration and had not been independently verified by the medical practitioner.
Muiz said the attack forced the family to abandon their home for fear of further violence.
"Our father was heartbroken. Before all this, he struggled to understand my brother's situation. But after seeing the violence firsthand, everything changed. His only concern now is the safety of the family," he said.
As of the time of filing this report, the allegations had not been independently verified by our correspondent. Efforts to obtain comments from the relevant security authorities were unsuccessful, and no official statement had been issued regarding the claims.