Nigerian lady claims her life is in danger

isaac dachen

August 5, 2016 3:41 PM

A Nigerian lady who claims she is a lesbian, is begging the Canadian government to give her asylum as her country men would kill her if she is deported.

A lady at the Immigration office in Canada

A Nigerian lady who is seeking asylum in Canada, has claimed her life is in danger if she is deported to the country because of her

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The lady who only identified herself as U.O, told the Canadian authorities that her family and members of her community has vowed to kill her if she ever sets foot in her father's land and as such, wants to be allowed to stay in the North American country.

A report by the Canadian immigration authorities claim that the 32-year-old woman, fears persecution in her home country, where homosexuality is a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

"She's been in Winnipeg for three months, arriving here for a conference and abandoning her plans to return to Nigeria after finding out her girlfriend was jailed and police were looking for her.

She went before the refugee protection division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada to plead her case, giving written consent for a Free Press reporter to observe the hearing while several supporters from Winnipeg's LGBTQ community waited outside.

She claims her family in Nigeria has turned its back on her because of her sexuality."

In her words, U.O said:

"Nobody there wants me. They want me dead. I will be lynched if I returns to Nigeria. So, I don't think they deserve me. I would be happy to start a new life here and find a new love."

The lady allegedly told the board that her journey toward refugee protection began in May, when she, as an outreach worker at a non-governmental organization in Nigeria, attended an HIV/AIDS conference in Winnipeg.

Also Read: "No Way: UK Home Office denies Nigerian lesbian couple asylum"

While there, she found out her girlfriend, her first love from university, whom she'd been seeing in secret in Nigeria, had been arrested and forced to confess their relationship, and that her husband and other family members wanted her dead.

A hearing on her case has been scheduled for August 22, after the government appointed adjudicator decided she needed more time to hear U.O's case.

isaac dachen