When Acho Kenneth was asked to meet his Grindr date at the other man's home in Lagos, it didn't ring any alarm bells as discretion is the norm for gay men dating in Nigeria, where same-sex relations can land you in jail. Kenneth was, however, a little taken aback when he arrived to find his date, who said his name was Ugo, hanging out with four friends. But the other men soon left, and he and Ugo moved to the bedroom to make out.
Soon after, the four men rushed back in and as he fended off blows, Kenneth realised he was a victim of kito, a form of violent entrapment that uses dating apps to lure victims.
I knew I had been set up. Kenneth was told to strip and was then filmed saying he was gay. His attackers threatened to send the video to his family and friends unless he gave them 1-million naira R14, But he only had , naira about R2, in his account and was told to call his family for the rest.
His ordeal lasted seven hours before he was finally released after friends came up with an extra , naira R4, Now, before he meets anyone new, Kenneth scrolls through sites like the Kito Diaries, JP Crime Fighter and Splendid Love to make sure he doesn't have to suffer such abuse again. Cases are infrequent, however, and the punishment is rarely carried out.
Chimdimma Ike, director of programmes at TIERs, said kito gangs have become increasingly organised, often basing themselves in serviced apartments and using point-of-sale machines to extort money. Chima, a year-old victim of kito based in Enugu state, nearly lost his marriage in when assailants threatened to out him as a gay man to his family if he didn't pay them , naira.
