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Nigerian police said they are investigating a video clip in which some people appeared claiming to be members of the Nigerian lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community.
Force Headquarters spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi described those in the video as “criminals” and added that their actions were punishable under Nigerian law.
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The spokesperson for the force stated this through X, formerly Twitter, where he was tagged in the video that became a trend.
“They are criminals and are punished by law. We are in this clip to take necessary action in accordance with the provisions of the law in Nigeria. These are unnatural crimes and are totally condemned,” Adejobi wrote in X.
An X user, @iamking_yusuf, brought the video to their attention.
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In the 50-second video, four men and three women, who were allegedly participating in an online LGBTQ challenge, confessed to being bisexual, lesbian, transgender and gay. They also talked about the “misconceptions” people have about them.
“I am lesbian (and) masculine. “People always ask me if I’m a footballer,” said a woman in the clip.
“I’m straight trans…of course people think I’m gay,” said one man.
“I am trans…. Of course, people will always want to know what’s down there,” another man said, pointing a finger at the front of his pants.
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The video has sparked mixed reactions among X users, with some condemning it while others said they saw nothing wrong with it.
“I don’t see any crime here! What the law criminalizes is same-sex marriage, not someone calling themselves something,” wrote @nohrix on X.
“It is a crime to promote the lifestyle. Read your laws! @Ayoksy replied to @nohrix.
Illegal
In Nigeria it is illegal to have homosexual relations.
Nigeria’s anti-gay law, enacted in January 2014, provides for a 14-year prison sentence for anyone convicted of having sexual relations with members of the same sex.
The law was first tested in December 2019, when 47 men arrested by police at a Lagos hotel the previous year were arraigned in court, accused of publicly displaying affection for members of the same sex.
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All suspects pleaded not guilty and were granted bail. The case was later dismissed by a federal judge due to a “lack of procedural diligence” on the part of the police.
PREMIUM TIMES reported last year how police in Delta State last year arrested 100 gay suspects at a hotel while they were participating in a gay wedding.
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