Kito is a Nigerian slang term describing incidents where individuals (often targeting queer men) are lured via social media or dating apps, then robbed, blackmailed, assaulted or worse. It’s premeditated violence disguised as connection.
Hilary’s Story – Port Harcourt, October 2025
Hilary was deceived into meeting people he thought he could trust under false pretenses. Instead, he was beaten and thrown from a two-storey building. He died from spinal cord injuries. Hilary is the second kito-related death in just two weeks.
How Kito Works
- A profile appears on an app or social forum, perhaps presenting as a potential partner/friend.
- The target meets them.
- Upon meeting, there is an ambush: robbery, assault, forced outing, blackmail
- Often there is severe violence, not just theft.
- Many victims never report what happened, for fear of arrest or exposure.
This isn’t a random occurrence. It is organized and systemic.
The Legal & Social Environment
In Nigeria, same-sex relationships are criminalised. The Same-Sex marriage (Prohibition) Act 2014 bans same-sex marriages and associations, and imposes up to 14 years in prison for same-sex acts. In northern states under Sharia law, punishments include public flogging or even death by stoning. The law doesn’t just criminalize love, it enables murder. Homophobia is deeply rooted in our society.
When your existence is illegal, who protects you?
A Pattern of Violence
- July 2025: Two students, Hamza Idris-Tofawa and Umar Yusuf-Dungurawa, beaten to death by fellow students in Kano State boarding school following gay accusations.
- August 2024: Area Mama, a popular trans influencer, was found murdered in Abuja
- November 2024: Four young men beaten and chased from Benin City for homosexuality.
- October 2024: A gay couple publicly beaten and paraded in Port Harcourt, stripped half-naked, showing trails of blood.
These are just the cases that make it to the headlines. Many others go unreported, silenced by fear and shame..
Across Nigeria, queer people live in constant fear:
- Fear of meeting someone
- Fear of being seen
- Fear of existing
Every dating app is a potential crime scene. Every public space is a threat. Every day is survival.
Kito is what happens when a society denies people their right to exist, love, safety, and dignity. Hilary’s story is not an isolated tragedy, it’s a call to action.
Until queer Nigerians can live without fear of being hunted, we must keep saying their names, telling their stories, and demanding legal reforms.
No one should die for simply trying to love and be loved.
