The community in Nima has begun a manhunt for three residents, Faisel Amija, Nana Boateng and Paapa Ibrahim who have been declared wanted for engaging in homosexual related activities in the community.
The residents from the Islamic community physically assaulted the suspects after invading their homes. However, Nana Boateng, who is alleged to be their leader, got his house and personal belongings burnt into ashes. Another suspect, Razak Nuhu is reported to have been beaten to death during the attack.
Reports indicate that the hunt for Nana Boateng has intensified for being the alleged ringleader and is said to be always seen in company of other men with questionable character. His case reportedly worsened when the youth in the community alleged that the late Razak Nuhu mentioned his name before his death for introducing him to homosexual.
The spokesperson of the youth, Baba Musah, said that Nana Boateng and his men were being chased by the community to answer for what he described as ‘atrocious acts’ and for desecrating their land as well as the laws of the country.
Musah said some elders of the community had been getting complaints over the ‘unholy acts’ of the men and had been investigating the issue over a period of time.
Our source added that Nana Boateng homosexual act blew open on 1st November, 2022 when one of homosexual men, Razak confessed to the crime after being beaten and tortured by angry youths before he died.
It was also gathered that the angry youths searched for Nana Boateng everywhere in the town, and even wrote a threatening note on his door, and also set his residence ablaze when he could not be found. They have also vowed that unless Nana Boateng disappeared from the surface of the earth, he will either be killed.
Same-sex relationships were first criminalized in Ghana in the 19th century under British colonial rule. In 2018, the UK prime minister at the time, Theresa May, apologised for such laws, saying “they were wrong then, and they are wrong now.”
In 1960, homosexual acts were made illegal in Ghana’s first, post-independence criminal code, which replaced colonial-era laws but was still influenced by them. This part of the law, however, was rarely enforced.
In its current form, the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill, brought forth by eight Members of Parliament in July 2021, proposes to criminalize not only same-sex sexual relationships and marriages but also identifying as LGBTQI+, promoting and funding of LGBTQI+ groups, and public debate or education on sexual orientation and gender identity. In addition, if the bill were to pass by Parliament of Ghana, it would impose medical “assistance” on persons questioning their sexuality, and on intersex children.
International organizations have raised concerns that the Bill could infringe on the rights of LGBTQ+ persons who are a minority group in the country.
In spite of these concerns, Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has indicated that “the sexual rights and human values Bill that is being handled by the committee will definitely be passed before the next elections. That Bill will go through,” he stressed.