'She bin dey active for choir, we no know say she be trans woman'

Members of St. John’s Catholic Church Rumuolumeni for Iwofe, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, southern Nigeria dey in shock afta dem discover say di pesin wey dem know as Emmanuella Adaolisa, a choir member for di parish na transgender woman wey bin dey registered as man wen dem born am.

Mortuary attendants reveal am wen dem wan begin work on di deadibodi wey di catechist and some members of di church bin come deposit as a woman, only to discover say na trans woman.

According to tori, Emmanuella Adaolisa na pharmacist wey graduate for di University of Port Harcourt and dey identify as a trans-woman.

But members of her local church bin no know.

Some parishioners wey no wan mention dia name tell BBC Pidgin say Emmanuella join St. John’s Catholic Church, Rumuolumeni sometime in October 2022 and dey very active for di choir as a soprano singer.

She also introduce her fiancé wey she wan marry to di parish authorities.

“We bin do 21 days fasting and prayers with five days spiritual retreat wey end on 31 January 2023. Dat day, di Priest make one strong prayer say make God expose any pesin wey wan bring shame to di Catholic Church and we say amen. We no know say dis tin go happen cos na dat very day im get di accident as e dey return from di programme dat evening.” One of di church members tell BBC Pidgin.

Emmanuella death by accident and church discovery

On 31 January 2023, afta di evening programme of di church, on her way home, Emmanuella get accident as she fall out of di keke napep tricycle wey she enta, fall inside gutter.

She come dey bleed especially all around her face. Na only she die for dat accident.

Afta sometime, information reach di church choir members say one of dia members get accident so dem and di Catechist rush go dia and rush her go hospital.

Di first hospital reject her so dem carry her go Military Hospital along Aba road wia dem confam her dead on arrival (DOA).

So dem carry her go di mortuary wia di mortuary attendants come discover say she be trans woman.

“E never tay wey dem deposit di deadbodi na im di mortuary attendants call di catechist as e never go far to ask am weda e know di actual gender of di pesin wey dem come deposit with dem and e say na woman dem bring.

But wen di attendant lead im and im team to really confam dia position, na dia dem come discover say di pesin wey dem bin tink say na woman as she claim na actually trans woman.”

E add say di mortuary attendants make di discoverery wen dem remove di cloth wey she wear come discover say she wear four boxers, wen dem comot am na im dem see say she be trans.

BBC Pidgin reach out to di Initiative for Advancement of Humanity, one Non-Governmental organisation wey Emmanuella bin tag say she dey work with but dem no respond.

Who be Emmanuella Adaolisa

For her Facebook and Instagram account with di handle @aliyahlakshmi, Emmanuella Adaolisa identify as a transwoman.

She introduce hersef as a transwoman - Emmanuella Adaolisa with di pronouns she/her.

She also call heself di first Nigeria 'trans pharmacist'.

Posts for her account dey celebrate LGBTQ issues as well as hersef as a transwoman.

She also study for di university of Port Harcourt for Rivers state according to information on her social media page.

Nigeria law criminalise same sex sexual relationship

Since di tori break, some questions about why Emmanuella no gree open up to di church about her gender also come up.

But for Nigeria, same sex sexual relationships dey illegal.

Di maximum punishment for di 12 northern states wey don adopt Sharia law na death by stoning.

For southern Nigeria and under di secular criminal laws of northern Nigeria, di maximum punishment for same-sex sexual activity na 14 years imprisonment.

Di Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act criminalise all forms of same-sex unions and same-sex marriage and also cover LGBTQ issues wey dey prohibited throughout di kontri.

Di law also no recognize trans-gender pipo and make such illegal.