How Police Rescued Lesbian Lovers from Angry Mob

The Edo State Police Command swiftly responded to a distress call recently at a hotel in Benin City to rescue two women who were in a romantic relationship and were being violently assaulted by an angry mob.

The women, who had sustained severe degree of injuries during the violent attack, were provided with immediate medical attention and support by the authorities.

According to sources Temitope Tayo Adesiyan and Adepeju Olawunni Makinde, who have reportedly been in a romantic relationship for several years, showed immense courage in keeping their lesbian act secret from their families and friends until they were discovered in Benin City during a visit.

Temitope, whose mother is from Benin City, had travelled there to celebrate her mother’s sixtieth birthday. The birthday celebration, which took place at Upper Mission Extension before Aduwawa Junction in Benin City, attracted a gathering of prominent individuals, including some top politicians.

It was gathered that they returned to their hotel room on Friday evening after the birthday celebration and spent the rest of their three-day stay unwinding. However, a hotel staff member (who will remain anonymous) raised concerns about an incident that caught the attention of other staff and guests who observed them engaging in intimate behaviour.

Sources said the situation escalated when the hotel staff, noticing them kissing upon their arrival that night, initially warned them about the hotel’s policies due to the suspicion that they might have been under the influence of alcohol. After this incident, the staff became more vigilant of their actions and eventually caught them engaging in intimate behaviour in their room.

It has been uncovered that Temitope Tayo Adesiyan and Adepeju Olawunni Makinde, a 2010 University of Education graduate, have been engaged in a prolonged romantic relationship. Despite Adepeju Olawunni Makinde being reportedly married with a child, their relationship continues discreetly.

It was reported that Temitope Tayo Adesiyan, the woman rescued by the police, tragically passed away a few minutes after they arrived at the hospital. Her body has been taken to the morgue. The family is pleading with the authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice for taking the law into their own hands.

Adepeju Olawunni Makinde, a woman who survived the brutal mob attack, has reportedly fled from the hospital where she was undergoing treatment. Authorities have issued a warrant for her arrest in connection with alleged involvement in lesbian activities, an offence punishable by up to 14 years of imprisonment if convicted. This situation, viewed by many as unjust and discriminatory, underscores the urgent need for societal change and legal reform.

It was gathered that Adepeju Olawunni Makinde, who got married in 2013, broke up with her husband, Mr. Adebisi Makinde, in 2010 while they were dating when her husband, who was her fiancé, caught her with her lover.

Investigation revealed that Adepeju Olawunni Makinde’s mother, Mrs. Christiana Adekunle helped resolve the issues and apologized on behalf of her daughter to Mr. Adebisi Makinde that such would not happen again and that she had cautioned her daughter against such behaviour and that is not accepted in our culture.

Following the apology, the young Mr. Adebisi Makinde forgave her, and they begin their relationship. On 25 April 2013, they married in Abeokuta, Ogun state, Nigeria, and their marriage has since been blessed with a child. However, an unconfirmed report revealed that there is a dispute about who is the father of the child as many believe that Mr. Adebisi Makinde and his family did not accept the child due to his wife’s promiscuous sexual behaviour.

A report stated that Temitope Tayo Adesiyan had been involved in this act from her secondary school days through her education, doing it secretly and with the support of her mother that her mother and her father separated because she was also caught in the same act years ago while Temitope was still a little girl and that was the genesis of the breakup of her parent’s relationship.

The family was said to have been devastated by the sudden and tragic death of the 29-year-old woman. They were convinced that her killing was intentional, likely due to her mother’s high-profile advocacy for gender equality and her fierce opposition against the government’s perceived inaction on women’s issues.

The 60-year-old mother expressed deep sorrow, believing that her daughter’s life was unjustly taken. Reporters who visited the family’s residence in the Upper Mission Extension area in Benin City found a sombre atmosphere, with the mother too distraught to speak to reporters.

It was gathered that Temitope Tayo Adesiyan and her partner Adepeju Olawunni Makinde, along with other members of the LGBTIQ+ community, had planned a conference for LGBTIQ in Ogun state. They paid for the venue in December 2013, with the event scheduled for 14 February 2014. However, when then Nigeria President Dr. Good luck Ebele Jonathan passed the anti-LGBTIQ and repressive law, the police began targeting the program’s organizers, and some people perceived to be members of the LGBTIQ community were arrested. To avoid police interrogation, Adepeju fled to the UK with her husband, staying there for some time before returning.

Surviving a mob attack, Adepeju was detained by the police for questioning. Human rights lawyers, led by Barrister D. O. Aziegbe, Esq and E. S. Osaigbovo, Esq. launched a campaign against jungle justice. They argued that the 2014 Anti-LGBTIQ law, enacted by the PDP-led Government, does not mandate the death penalty for offenders. This law, which criminalizes same-sex relationships and activities, has been a source of legal and social challenges for the LGBTIQ+ community. This case highlights the urgent need for societal change and legal reform to protect the rights of LGBTIQ+ individuals.

Following the outcry of some activists, she was taken to the hospital for treatment by the police, and that paved the way for her escape. The circumstances of her escape raise questions about police accountability and the treatment of LGBTIQ+ individuals in the Nigerian legal system. The police are in search of Adepeju Olawunni Makinde, and some health workers in the hospital have been invited for interrogation on her escape while the search for her continues.

Unsubstantiated claims suggest that Adepeju Olawunni Makinde’s current location is unknown. There is speculation that she may have travelled to the UK to avoid potential legal action and incarceration. It has been suggested that her husband, Mr. Adebisi Makinde, a political scientist refused to acknowledge the paternity of their first and only child, Darasimi. There are rumours that Darasimi’s father is in the United Kingdom. There are also rumours of extramarital affairs despite her marriage to Mr. Adebisi Makinde.