Police in Abia State yesterday paraded six friends, among them an undergraduate, who were allegedly caught practicing homosexual in a hotel room.
However, the suspects paraded by the Police Commissioner at the Command Headquarters, Bende Road, Mr. Anthony Ogbizi, denied being homosexuals.
The suspects said they were in Aba for the birthday party of one of their friends, Ndubuisi. They added that their families were not aware that they were arrested.
One of the suspects, who gave his name as Chidera, claimed to be an undergraduate of the Imo State University, Owerri.
He said that they all checked into one hotel room because they were told that the category of room they asked for was not available, in the alternative therefore they decided to manage one room to change their clothes before going to the club within the hotel.
“I arrived the hotel about 6p.m. and I asked my friend to book a room for me, when I discovered that we were many in one room but he said that the hotel management said the N5,000 rooms we could afford were not available again. So we decided to manage that one room.
“After drinking at the hotel bar, we went to the room to change our clothes for clubbing.
“It was at that time that we heard a knock on the door and when we opened the door, the manger started asking why we were six in the room and after explaining to him, he said they don’t allow more than three people in a room. That was how he accused us of practicing homosexuality in the room.
“There was nothing like kissing or making love in the room and we are not gays,” Chidera said.
The celebrant, Ndubuisi, who claimed to be a hair stylist, also said that he only invited his friends for his birthday party and lodged them in the hotel. Ndubuisi added that they did not indulge in any homosexual act.
He said: “I invited my friends for my birthday and I wanted to pay for two rooms but we couldn’t because the rooms were filled up, that was why we were in one room.”
The suspects include Fred Ndubuisi, Anyanwu Chidera, Kamsiriochukwu Onuaha, Anderson Emeruwa, Sampson Nwadike and Nnadi Promise.
Parading the suspects, Ogbizi said they were caught in the act at City Gobal Hotel, Aba, about 2a.m. The commissioner said that the suspects were nabbed following a distress call from the manager of the hotel.
He added that the manager alleged that the suspects were seen kissing one another at the hotel bar by a worker who reported the incident to the management.
Ogbizi said that the manager went to the hotel room where two of the suspects had checked in earlier and discovered that they were six in the room, romancing and kissing one another.
According to the police boss, the suspects were interrogated and it was discovered that they were members of a gang who came into the state from nearby states to practice unnatural act in the hotel room.
The commissioner said that the hotel management would bring its evidence against the suspects when they were charged to court.