I tink say na Europe - Gay Nigerian wey find asylum go Russia

One Nigerian man wey fit see hot pepper for im home kontri sake of say im be gay don go find asylum for anoda kontri wey dey look di mata wit corner corner eye - Russia. Here be im tori.

Make im no enta prison and even die, Mauli Sabo* choose wetin im believe say na im last chance to get asylum for anoda kontri and im use di chance say pesin fit go Russia wit no visa wit your World Cup fan ID.

But di 32-year-old no even know anytin for di way di kontri dey look LGBT rights.

"I tink say I dey go Europe," na wetin Sabo tok.

Sabo say im no even know anytin about Russia "gay propaganda" law, wey no dey allow public tok tok wey dey "encourage" young pipo to see "non-traditional" LGBT and heterosexual (man and woman) sex mata as normal.

Di European Court of Human Rights see dis law say na discrimination.

Di Nigerian no even know as tins dey for Chechnya.

Plenti gay men don run comot from di southern Russia republic as dem dey tok say dey do dem strong tin based on dia sex mata.

Sabo bin tink say di way Russia go look LGBT pipo go be like all di oda Europe kontri dem.

Just some days afta im enta Russia on July 8, Sabo tok to di Civil Assistance Committee, wey dey help refugees.

Oya, show say you be gay

Dem epp am start to fill all di document wey im go need for di asylum mata.

Den im reach im first gbege - dem say make im show say true true im be gay.

"We go apply for asylum. Sabo get passport and valid visa; im dey live for hostel for Moscow and dem don legally register am."

"Dem look im papers and tok say: we need pesin from LGBT organisation to confam say di applicant be gay. Make we no lie, e shock us," na wetin Civil Assistance tok tok pesin Daria Manina explain.

Na epp from lawyer wey dey hustle wit one local LGBT organisation na im dem collect Sabo document wen im try for di second time. "I dey lucky" na so e see am.

But human right defenders dey feel say Sabo wey dem fit kill if e go back Nigeria, fit get any luck say dem go give am refugee status or political asylum for Russia.

"We no know any case wia pesin wey dey find asylum wey dem give am based on wetin im like to do for bedroom." na wetin Manina tok.

Di Civil Assistance Committee tok say pipo from Africa dey like come Russua as dem see say e no too hard to get dia visa as e dey wit oda kontris.

World Cup fan ID

To get Fan ID afta pesin buy World Cup ticket just make di mata very easy.

Sabo tok yes, im get epp wit im application.

Im padi wey dey live for Lagos, tell one "pesin wey get strong leg" of wetin dey worry Sabo.

Sabo neva use eye see di official and no even know im name. But na im epp am buy ticket for di World Cup and arrange im Fan ID.

Sabo no know wia di money come from.

"My mama kpai because of my palava" na wetin im add join.

All Sabo issues start last year.

Im bin use one social media network for gay and bi pipo for Nigeria.

Village pipo attack

One day for morning, like 50 pipo gada for front of im house.

"Dem say dem go beatme, dem come tok say dem go cari me go police station say I touch anoda man."

"I try tell dem say I no touch anybodi, but nobodi want hear word and na im I take off. Dem dey shout for area say gay pesin dey di house and say dem must kill am."

"But dem no catch me," na wetin Sabo remember.

Sabo bin dey live wit im mama and papa.

"My mama bin get blood pressure mata, and na im she collapse. Afta I run comot, na im dem tell me say she don kpai. My mama die becos of my palava," na wetin Sabo tok.

For 2014, Nigeria arrange law wey make make illegal for man and man or woman and woman to kerewa.

Jail sentence

Even before 2014, LGBT pipo dey see shege, especially for northern Nigeria wia Muslim plenti and Sharia law dey.

Di law wey President Goodluck Jonathan sign stop same-sex marriage plus even di pipo wey perform or go for di ceremony.

Di law get up to 14 years for prison.

Wen dem pass di ban into law, pipo wey no like gay pesin (homphobes) come get free hand to dey do anyhow and no legal wahala, na wetin human right experts tell Human Rights Watch.

Sabo dey miss home wella, but im know say di only tin wey dey wait am na prison.

"Or di pipo for my village go just kill me," na wetin im tok.

Ontop all dat one, Sabo don try go back. Afta im first run from village, im go Abuja, Nigeria capital, dem move go Lagos before e fly go Dubai before e enta Ghana.

Seven months come pass, na im one of im cousin tell am say make im come back, say dem don forgive am.

Second escape

"As e be, no one want tok to me. As I just show for di village, my relatives just chase me comot, come dey yab me join."

"I no know why my cousin promise say dem don forgive me."

Im get luck run comot from di village di second time and e neva show face again and im no dey tok to im family.

"I don make my choice," im tok.

*Dem don change pipo name wey dey for di article.