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Africa Entertainment News of Friday, 9 August 2024

Source: cnn.com

Nigerian police investigate killing of trans TikToker Abuja Area Mama

Abuja Area Mama, trans TikToker that was killed Abuja Area Mama, trans TikToker that was killed

Police in the Nigerian capital Abuja are investigating the killing of a trans TikToker known as Abuja Area Mama after her body was found beside a highway.

On TikTok, where she identified as female and openly described herself as a sex worker, Abuja Area Mama styled herself as a “cross-dresser and queen of the street.”

A police spokesperson in the city, Josephine Adeh, said in a statement that “an unidentified lady was seen lying motionless along Katampe - Mabushi expressway” on Thursday and “preliminary investigations revealed that the individual was a man fully dressed in female clothing with no means of identification on him.”

Adeh added that police were investigating the killing, which she said was a culpable homicide. CNN has contacted the police for more information.

Same-sex relations are banned in Nigeria and gay and trans people often face harrasment.

Abuja Area Mama had previously faced attacks and harassment. In a recent video on social media, she described being stabbed by an unidentified man.

A day before her body was found, she made a post on Instagram saying she was “getting ready to go and see my boyfriend.”

Abuja Area Mama was candid about the risks of being a sex worker.

“You could leave home at night to hustle and not return the next morning,” she said while featuring as a guest on a YouTube podcast four months ago.