Outrage As Relatives Celebrate Death Of 23-year-old Man
An X (formerly Twitter) user, identified as Papi of the Buj, has alleged that some relatives of a 23-year-old Nigerian man, Hillary Ikechukwu Emereole, celebrated his death during his burial after learning that he was reportedly killed because of his sexual orientation.
Hillary was laid to rest on Saturday, February 7, 2026, in his hometown of Umuihugba Umuodu Autonomous Community in Owerri, Imo State.
According to earlier reports by Linda Ikeji’s Blog (LIB), the young man allegedly died after being pushed from a two-storey building in Port Harcourt by individuals believed to have targeted him over his perceived homosexuality.
In a post shared on X, Papi of the Buj claimed that during the burial ceremony, some of the deceased’s kinsmen sang songs expressing joy over his death, allegedly linking it to his sexual orientation.
“Hillary was buried over the weekend, and it deeply hurt me when word reached his kinsmen that he was killed because of homosexuality,” the user wrote. “They sang songs, chanting how glad they were that he died. It was an eyesore.”
The allegations have since triggered widespread outrage on social media, with many users condemning both the killing and the reported conduct at the burial ceremony. Several commentators have called for justice for the deceased and renewed advocacy against violence and discrimination linked to sexual orientation.
As of the time of filing this report, there has been no official response from the family or relevant authorities regarding the allegations.
