19 arrested at alleged gay wedding in Nigeria

Over the weekend 19 people were arrested in the capital of Nigeria for attending an alleged gay wedding.

15 men and four women were arrested by the country’s police (Hisbah) on Sunday (18 December) for attending the event in Kano.

The police’s spokesperson, Lawal Ibrahim Fagge, has told the BBC that they raided the wedding following a tip-off. He also shared that the couple who had yet to take their vows had escaped. Police are searching for them.

Fagge said those arrested would be forced into “counselling” but that they wouldn’t be punished.

He said: “We’ll explore the avenue of change before we charge them in court. First we counsel them, and involve the parents and we hope they change their lifestyle.” 

Fagge also told the broadcaster that 18 people arrested after attending a similar wedding in 2021 were released after agreeing “they would change their lifestyle”.

Gay Community News reports those arrested have denied the charges of attending a same-sex wedding. They said they were attending a party for members of a dance club.

Kano is located in the northern part of Nigeria, which has a predominantly Muslim population. The south of the African country is mostly Christian. Both are known for being conservative.

Homosexuality is illegal under the country’s Islamic Sharia law as well as the country’s secular law.

The BBC also reports that no one has been convicted for being gay in the city’s Islamic courts. Last year five men were arrested for allegedly breaking the country’s laws on homosexuality.

In Nigeria, same-sex sexual activity is prohibited with people facing up to 14 years in prison. The Human Dignity Trust says the maximum sentence under the country’s Sharia law is death by stoning.

Earlier this year the country’s LGBTQ community held its first Pride.