Delta State Police Command arrests over 100 gay men attending homosexual wedding

MEN of the Delta State Police Command arrested over 100 suspected gay men at a hotel  over the weekend after they were suspected of organising a homosexual wedding ceremony in violation of a nationwide ban on such activities.

Nigeria has very Draconian anti-gay laws as anyone found guilty of committing a homosexual act can face up to 14 years in prison under the country's Same Sex Marriage Act of 2014. Nationwide, the country shows very little tolerance for homosexuality despite having a large population of lesbians and gays.

Across Nigeria, hundreds of lesbians and gays have been arrested since the passing of the Same Sex Marriage Act in 2014. In states across northern Nigeria, any Muslim convicted of the offence could be stoned to death under the harsh Sharia laws being practised in that part of the country.

Earlier today, the Delta State Police Command revealed that it would soon parade the arrested men before newsmen. In a post on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the state police said it would parade the suspects shortly.

A police spokesman added: “Delta State Command has arrested over a hundred gay suspects in a hotel carrying out a gay wedding ceremony. We will be going live shortly on Facebook to parade the said suspects.”

In December 2020, the Lagos State Police Command arrested 10 individuals suspected of homosexual activities in a brothel located in the Okota area of the state. Earlier in 2018, the police in the state paraded 57 men for alleged homosexual activities at Kelly Ann hotel in Egbeda.

In January 2022, eight alleged homosexuals were arrested in a hotel in Isolo, Lagos for alleged gay activities. Nigeria has a large lesbian and gay community, meaning that there will always be such arrests and prosecutions.