Activists report gay-bashing spree in Nigeria

Activists say a mob in Nigeria attacked young men they believed were homosexuals this weekend, beating one victim nearly to death. Witnesses said the violence broke out in a neighborhood in Abuja and resulted in at least one man seriously injured and as many as 14 people being attacked. Four victims were reportedly dragged to a police station where they were roughed up further by the resident officers. Nigerian activists told the New York Times the violence appeared to be linked to a new law signed recently by President Goodluck Jonathan that included prison sentences for homosexuals. The newspaper said one witness reported members of the mob chanting "We are working for Jonathan." No arrests were reported and activist Dorothy Aken'Ova, told the Times the government appeared to approve of the incidents. "The leaders are just watching, and now the Nigerian social fabric is being disintegrated by acts of mob violence," she said. "Now we have this new category as a result of the new law."