Police: Over 100 Gay Suspects Arrested In Delta
Written by Teniola Akerele on August 29, 2023
The Delta State Police Command on Tuesday announced that it arrested over 100 gay suspects carrying out a gay wedding ceremony in a hotel in Delta state.
In a post on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the state police said it would parade the suspects shortly.
“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.”
Since signing the anti-gay law in 2014 under President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration which stipulates a 14-year prison term for anyone convicted of having sex with members of the same sex, people believed to be homosexuals have been arrested and paraded by security operatives.
The Nigerian government put the law to the test for the first time in December 2019 when 47 men arrested by the police in a hotel in Lagos the previous year were arraigned in court, accused of publicly displaying affection for members of the same sex.
All 47 men pleaded not guilty and were granted bail by the court. A federal judge later struck out the charges against the men because of a “lack of diligent prosecution” by the police.
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.
Also, in January 2022, eight alleged homosexuals were arrested in a hotel in Isolo, Lagos for alleged gay activities.
