Source: UK Gay News, GayNZ.com
LAGOS -- A gay leader of the Changing Attitude Nigeria (CAN) group in Nigeria says he feared for his life after a mob attack outside a funeral ceremony in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

"I have never known fear like I knew when they were brutalizing me. I thought they were going to kill me there and then," says the victim, who did not want to be named.

On its website, CAN says the group is "Working for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender affirmation within the Anglican Communion." The group's goal, according to the site is "the day when the Anglican Churches fully accept, welcome and offer equality of opportunity to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people."

The violent attack occurred at the funeral ceremony held for the sister of Davis Mac-Iyalla, attended by six members of the Port Harcourt group on Thursday March 20,  2008.

Attacked was the unnamed leader of CAN's Port Harcourt group.

“I am in total shock and living in fear while feeling the pains,” the victim said.

The victim said he was approached by a muscular man during hymn singing at the funeral. The man asked him for a word outside the compound.

“The next thing I saw was a mob group who were there to attack me.

“They started slapping and punching me, kicked me on the ground and spat on me," he said.

"While beating me they were shouting: ‘You notorious homosexual, you think can run away from us for your notorious group to cause more abomination in our land?’

The victim said that his attackers seemed to be well informed about the necessarily secretive Port Harcourt group.

“I suspect an insider or one of the leaders of our Anglican church have hands in this attack,” he said.

Davis Mac-Iyalla, Director of Changing Attitude Nigeria, learning of the attack, said, “Please hold the Port-Harcourt group in your prayers as we seek God's guidance on this ugly and sad period of testing in our life.”

Speaking from Devizes in Wiltshire, England, Colin Coward, the director of Changing Attitude called on the Church of Nigeria to denounce the attack.

Archbishop Peter Akinola, primate of the Anglican Church in Nigeria, is perhaps the fiercest critic of the US Episcopal Church's stand on gays. He has allowed several US Episcopal parishes that are upset by Episcopal Church's tolerance of gay clergy and parishioners to align themselves with his church in Nigeria.

Full article: Gay Nigeria Christian Leader Narrowly Escapes Death in Brutal Attack | UK Gay News
Nigeria: Gay leader almost died in attack | GayNZ.com