In one of the nation’s largest arrest operations against the prohibited homosexual lifestyle, Nigerian police reported on Tuesday that they had apprehended at least 67 individuals attending a gay wedding.
during around two in the morning on Monday, the “gay suspects” were detained during a wedding celebration where two of them were engaged, state police spokeswoman Bright Edafe told reporters. According to him, homosexuality “will never be tolerated” in that country in West Africa.
In Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, LGBT persons are frequently detained because the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act provides a maximum 10-year prison sentence for homosexuals. Complicit parties might also spend ten years in prison. The law, which was passed in 2013, has drawn criticism both domestically and abroad, despite widespread support within the nation.
200 persons were first detained by Delta police after they raided a hotel in Ekpan where a lesbian wedding was taking place, Edafe told reporters. After preliminary investigations, 67 of them were later jailed, according to him.
The suspects were being paraded as he talked at the police station.
The fascinating aspect of it, he continued, was that there was a video showing the two suspects executing their wedding ceremony. “We are in Africa, specifically Nigeria. Because we don’t share the same culture as the West, we can’t duplicate it.
He emphasized that Nigerian law enforcement officials “cannot fold their hands” and watch as homosexual persons openly disclose their orientation there.
The accused will face charges in court after the inquiry is complete because “this is not a thing that will be allowed in Nigeria,” he said.