Controversial transgender TikToker sex worker found murdered
A controversial transgender TikTokker who shared her life as a sex worker online has been found murdered in Nigeria.
The body of the social media star, known as Abuja Area Mama, was found battered and bruised on the side of a highway on Thursday.
Abuja Area Mama had a loyal fan base and posted on TikTok about her experiences as a transgender and sex worker.
However, her content was not widely accepted in Nigeria, where same-sex relationships are criminalized and homophobic abuse of LGBTQ+ content creators is common online.
Her body was found along the Katampe-Mabushi highway in the capital Abuja, just hours after she posted online that she was going to meet her boyfriend.
According to local media, police are treating the death of Abuja Area Mama as murder and detectives are visiting the scene.
The body of TikToker ‘Abuja Area Mama’ was found beaten and bruised on the side of a highway on Thursday
Abuja Area Mama had a loyal fan base and posted on TikTok about her experiences as a transgender and sex worker
“Preliminary investigation has revealed that the suspect was a male dressed entirely in women’s clothing and had no identification on him,” a police statement said.
Last September, an Abuja mother, who never used her full name and sometimes called herself Ifeanyi, told how she had been attacked and that her life was now in danger.
She claimed she had been stabbed under circumstances that are still unclear.
Abuja Area Mama described herself on her TikTok profile as “Abuja’s biggest drag queen and queen of the streets.”
She previously said she shared her life on social media in an effort to educate others.
The sudden death of the 33-year-old man on Thursday led to much grief online.
Martins Ifijeh, a Nigerian journalist, posted the following on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Taking the law into your own hands because you don’t like someone else’s sexual orientation is the worst form of inhumanity.”
Her body was discovered along the Katampe-Mabushi highway in the capital Abuja, just hours after she posted online that she was going to meet her boyfriend
Abuja Area Mama described herself on her TikTok profile as ‘the number one Abuja cross-dresser and queen of the streets’
Another user added: ‘She was murdered for living her own truth. Her resilience in the face of hate and violence will never be forgotten.
“No one deserves to die for being themselves.”
A third added: The tragic death of Abuja’s ‘Area Mama’, who was targeted for violence because of her sexuality, highlights the violent consequences of such behaviour.
“We must commit to change and protect all Nigerians regardless of their identity.”