Love is love, but when expressed for the same sex, triggers reactions in many parts of the world. One of such countries is Nigeria among others, where people culpable of same sex marriages risk a jail term.
Rivers state, one of Nigeria’s 36 States is a typical example where many who defaulted have had to face the law.
According to an online article published March 28, 2022, a certain male student of the university of Portharcourt in Rivers State, spent three months in prison after being falsely accused of raping another male. The accused was arraigned on a one-count charge of having carnal knowledge of a person contrary to the order of nature under the Unnatural Offences Act.
Under this Act, the accused risks a 14-year jail term if convicted. He however regained freedom on bail, after he was remanded for three months
According to another source, a 22-year-old man met his waterloo in Port Harcourt in 2021, after reportedly being caught assaulting four boys aged nine, 11, 12 and 16 respectively, by touching their reproductive organs.
Although it is unclear how the case ended, the defendant who was said to have lured his victims through promises of gifting them was remanded by a competent court of jurisdiction.
Nigeria’s anti-gay law – The SSMPA Act (Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act) was passed in 2014 to put an end to same sex marriage as well as the registration of homosexual clubs and societies among others. It prescribes an 18-year jail term for people found guilty of going against the provisions of the law
On April 11, 2022, a riot erupted at the Port Harcourt Correctional Center following the death of a homosexual inmate who reportedly died after punishment from a senior inmate, another source had reported.
