Nelson Chigozirim

Walking home from church, John Okafor said he was stopped by Nigerian police, beaten and forced to pay a bribe to avoid arrest for "looking gay."

Bloodied by a strike with the butt of a police gun to his mouth, Okafor, 24, said he pleaded with the officers to let him go, but was only freed after paying almost half of the 50,000 naira ($32) the officers demanded.

President Donald Trump's decision to put a halt to U.S. foreign aid sparked intense and swift panic last month, but a partial U-turn has done little to calm nerves, fuelling a debate about the viability of the global aid system.

Hours after his inauguration on Jan. 20, Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign aid, including the supply of drugs for HIV treatment under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the world's leading HIV initiative.

When Acho Kenneth was asked to meet his Grindr date at the other man's home in Lagos, it didn't ring any alarm bells as discretion is the norm for gay men dating in Nigeria, where same-sex relations can land you in jail.

Kenneth was, however, a little taken aback when he arrived to find his date, who said his name was Ugo, hanging out with four friends. But the other men soon left, and he and Ugo moved to the bedroom to make out.