Davis MacIyalla reports from Geneva

Davis MacIyalla, director of Changing Attitude Nigeria, has sent a report from Geneva where he is attending the ILGA International Conference.

Sending the bill to the floor of the house is bad news for all LGBT people in Nigeria and for Davis in particular. The Deputy speaker of the House, the Hon Austin Opara, is not only an Anglican but also a Knight and from Rivers State like Davis.

Davis reports that he has received emails from friends in Nigeria warning him not to come back to Africa as it is becoming an even more dangerous place for him. He needs to be in a safe place where he can continue to direct the work of CAN and present the truth about the attitude of the Nigerian Church and Archbishop Peter Akinola. Davis fears that gays in Nigeria, including himself, are under dire threat from violent elements - he calls them "vigilantes" - who, encouraged by the Nigerian government, will act violently against those known to be gay and the organizations they belong to.

Anglican Church and Archbishop Akinola may have initiated the Bill

Davis has sources close to the centre of Church affairs in Abuja who report that Canon Popoola and Archbishop Akinola initiated the idea of the bill and persuaded the government to take it forward. This is an unconfirmed report, but if true, would show that it is indeed the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) which is behind this premeditated attack on the most basic rights of LGBT Nigerians.

The Bill makes the future both difficult and dangerous. Davis remains ready to talk with other Christian leaders to add their voice in opposition to the Bill. If enacted, it will make it impossible for any Nigerians to contribute to the listening process authorised by, among other senior Anglican leaders, Archbishop Peter Akinola. The Archbishop has yet to explain how his support for the Bill can be reconciled with his commitment to listen to LGBT people in his own Province.

All the Nigerian delegates attending the ILGA Conference in Geneva are now living in fear of arrest on their return to Nigeria. They are talking with ILGA representatives about their situation. It is clear that Davis is being pursued not only by Anglican authorities in Nigeria but also by the security services. He has been questioned several times at different locations, and has only escaped so far thanks to the capacity of security and immigration officers to accept bribes, and to the kindness of one or two known to him who have been protective. His networks tell him that the Church is desperate to discover his whereabouts.