Revealing its plans, the Nigerian police force has declared it has plans to go after members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community in the country.
Recall that former President Goodluck Jonathan had, in 2014, assented to a bill outlawing gay relationships and same-sex marriage. With the assent, anyone convicted of involvement in a gay relationship or entering into a same-sex marriage contract or civil union faces up to 14 years in jail.
This is a plan revealed following a video on TikTok where eight persons publicly declared their membership of the community. The suspects, three women and five men had uploaded the video on @whernigeria to join the ‘Of Course’ trend, and had spoken about their sexual identities.
Quoting from the NPF reaction, Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said: “They are criminals and punishable under the law. We are on this clip to take necessary action according to the provisions of the law in Nigeria.”
In Nigeria, It is a crime to have a meeting of homosexuals or to operate or attend a gay club, society or organisation.