Nigeria, Africa

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the eighth most populous country in the world with a population of over 140 million. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The economy of Nigeria is one of the fastest growing in the world. Homosexuality in Nigeria is illegal and can be punished by imprisonment of up to 14 years. The north of Nigeria is Islamic and extremely conservative Areas under Sharia have instituted death for homosexual men and women (rarely carried out). Any content, advocating groups or associations, support, talking to, and marriage regarding LGBT persons carries a prison sentence of at least four years. In 2005, the Ugandan constitution was amended to ban same-sex marriage.

 

News & Reports:

 

Nigeria’s paramilitary raids birthday party for gay people, 76 arrested

Maiduguri, Nigeria – Seventy-six people were arrested for attending a birthday party for gay people in northern Nigeria, the country’s paramilitary agency said on Monday, adding that the organiser had also planned to hold a same sex wedding, which is illegal. There are the latest arrests targeting LGBTQ Nigerians after police in August raided a… Read more »

19 Arrested at Same-Sex Wedding in Nigeria

Marriage equality and same-sex sexual relations are illegal in the country. Members of Islamic police enforcing sharia law in the northern Nigerian state of Kano arrested 19 men and women yesterday, accusing them of attending a same-sex marriage. A spokesperson for the religious police, known locally at the hisbah, said they acted after receiving a… Read more »

Three men sentenced to death by stoning for being gay in Nigeria

An Islamic sharia court in Nigeria has sentenced three gay men to death by stoning – including a man who was 70 years old. A Ningi court in the northern state of Bauchi convicted the men of engaging in homosexuality, the state’s religious police force, the Hisbah Vanguard, said 1 July. According to Reuters, the… Read more »

Nigerian police raid suspected ‘gay party’ and drag ‘scores’ of men to anti-cult office

Police have reportedly raided a hotel in Anambra, Nigeria, where a group of “suspected gays” were having a party, following an anonymous tip-off. According to a local source who spoke to Nigerian publisher Punch Newspapers: “The gays were holding a party at the facility when trouble ensued, leading to the invitation of policemen from the… Read more »

Judge throws out case of 47 Nigerian men accused of gay sex after prosecutors fail to even show up

A Nigerian judge threw out a case against 47 men accused of gay sex after the prosecutors failed to show up in court or call any witnesses. he high-profile case was widely seen as a test of the country’s same-sex marriage prohibition act (SSMPA), which punishes homosexual relationships by up to 14 years in prison.… Read more »

How young, queer Nigerians use Twitter to shape identity and fight homophobia

Nigeria continues to be largely homophobic, mainly as a result of cultural and religious conventions. Negative perceptions of homosexuality led to the criminalisation of same-sex relations in 2014. The Nigerian environment is therefore toxic for LGBTI people. They become easy prey to oppressive and exploitative state security apparatus. They are also vulnerable to public “moral… Read more »

‘Gay People Have Always Existed In Africa – It”s Time For Us To Start Telling Our Stories’

Former pastor Edafe Okporo sheds more light on the little-known history of African queer culture. Despite the recent decriminalisation of homosexuality in countries like Gabon and Angola, it remains a sad fact that same-sex sexual relations remain illegal across more than half of the continent. Many of these antiquated laws were imposed on African nation… Read more »

First men go on trial under Nigeria’s anti-homosexuality laws

All 47 men deny offence of same-sex displays of affection, which carries 10-year jail term Forty-seven men went on trial in Nigeria on Wednesday for public displays of affection with members of the same sex, an offence that carries a 10-year jail term in the country. The men were among 57 arrested in a police… Read more »

Bisi Alimi Organises LGBT Event In Lagos

Nigerian gay rights activist Bisi Alimi has organised a Gay Pride event in Nigeria. The event tagged “Night of Diversity 2019” was organised by his foundation The Bisi Alimi Foundation. It held last night in Lagos, Tuesday 29th October. Alimi expressed such an event could hold in Nigeria took to his Instagram story to say:… Read more »

Gay men seen dying from AIDS due to Africa’s homophobic laws

Nairobi (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Thousands of gay men in Africa are likely dying from HIV-related illnesses every year due to homophobic laws that stifle their chances of being tested and treated, said researchers behind a study published on Monday in The Lancet HIV journal. A study of the data of 45,000 gay men in… Read more »

Opinion: Nigeria is a cold-blooded country for gay men — I have the scars to prove it

Editor’s Note: Richard Akuson is a Nigerian lawyer and founder of A Nasty Boy magazine which seeks to challenge conventional norms about gender and masculinity. Akuson is now based in New York. The views expressed here are solely his. (CNN) – In 2017, I started A Nasty Boy magazine to validate and affirm the lives… Read more »

Nigerian man comes out as gay via Instagram poll, receives death threats

One person responded: ‘You will not live to see another day here in Nigeria’ A Nigerian man publicly came out as gay via an Instagram poll and then people sent him death threats. 27-year-old Daniel ‘Yomi Asaya was born in Benin City in Nigeria but moved to the UK in 2014. He works as a… Read more »

‘Nigeria is as gay as any other country’

Drag queen Son of a Tutu performs in the UK, but has adopted a Nigerian persona to make a point. LGBT rights are not recognised in Nigeria, where being openly gay is punishable by jail. Here he tells the story of how he overcame beatings and family expectations to finally become who he was born… Read more »

‘Make Nigeria Gay Again’: how one artist is fighting homophobia in Africa

Starring the gay demon, Sigil, this is everything you need to know and how you can help A funky new video is highlighting the roots and impacts of entrenched homophobia in Nigeria. Nigerian digital artist, Sigil, made the almost 30-minute long video. Called ‘Happy Pride, Nigeria’ it goes beyond a history lesson and incorporates queer,… Read more »

Nigeria gets its first LGBT-focused talk show

Two Nigerians, Chijioke Okoli and Cisi Eze, popularly known as CJ and Cisi, have banded together to launch a radio show that will explore issues relating to homosexuality in Nigeria. Okoli is an experienced radio show host, public speaker and media personality who once worked at WE FM 106.3 Abuja as co-host on a sex… Read more »

A Unique Window on Being Queer in Nigeria

Abuja, Nigeria — “Whenever I was with her, I was open. I could talk … my sexuality does not define who I am.” These words are from a new book, “She Called Me Woman: Nigeria’s Queer Women Speak.” The new book, released this week, is a collection of interviews with two dozen women. It offers… Read more »

15 Jigawa Students Beat Homosexual Classmate To Death

A total of 15 students have been arrested by operatives of the Jigawa State Police Command after they were alleged to have beat a classmate to death. According to the police, the 15 students in the Yankwashi Local Government Area of the state, were reported to have beat the student to death over his sexual… Read more »

42 arrested in Nigeria for ‘homosexual acts’

Over 40 men were arrested in Nigeria over the weekend for performing “homosexual acts”. Following a police raid in Lagos state at a hotel on Saturday, it is believed that 42 men were arrested. Where is it illegal to be gay? A look at all the countries where homosexuality is against the law If found… Read more »

Nigerian Court Puts Dozens on Trial Over Alleged Gay Wedding

Zaria, Nigeria — Fifty four people went on trial in northern Nigeria on Monday on charges connected to allegations that they were celebrating a gay wedding, which are outlawed in the country. The court began hearing the case against the defendants — most of whom were not present in court — who have been charged… Read more »

53 people face criminal charges for attending a gay wedding

53 people are facing criminal charges in Nigeria after police claimed they attended a same-sex wedding. Homosexuality has long been illegal in Nigeria, but a draconian 2013 law moved beyond simply targeting gay sex – extending the provisions to criminalise all forms of same-sex unions and clamp down on the LGBT community. Under the law,… Read more »

Nigeria launch investigation into ‘gay’ Swiss Ambassador

The Nigerian Government is to investigate claims that Switzerland’s Ambassador to the country is living with his husband. Eric Mayoraz arrived in Nigeria last year and – according to local newspaper, the Daily Trust – did so with his husband, a Brazilian man known as Mr Carlos. Akinremi Bolaji, a spokesman for the Ministry of… Read more »

U.S. Support of Gay Rights in Africa May Have Done More Harm Than Good

Lagos, Nigeria — Suspicious neighbors and landlords pry into their private lives. Blackmailers hunt for victims on the social media sites they use to meet others of the same sex. Police officers routinely stop them to search for incriminating images and chats on their cellphones. Since an anti-gay law went into effect last year, many… Read more »

Gay Nigerians face beatings, harsh prison sentences, even death

Nigeria made same-sex marriage and gay rights activism illegal last January. Since then, gay Nigerians say abuse and extortion have become commonplace by state-sponsored vigilantes, police and public mobs. As part of a week-long series “Nigeria: Pain and Promise,” special correspondent Nick Schifrin reports on the threats and violence that LGBT citizens face in that… Read more »

Nigerian Novelist Reflects on Anti-Gay Law

Malmo, Sweden – One day in January 2014, award-winning Nigerian writer and rights activist Jude Dibia woke up gasping for air. Nigeria had just passed a law criminalizing homosexuality. This prompted Dibia to make the decision to leave his home country. Dibia now lives in Sweden, where he is a guest writer of the Malmö… Read more »

12 men arrested in Nigeria for holding a ‘gay wedding’

Most of them were teenagers and could be possibly put to death 12 men were arrested for holding a ‘gay wedding’ in Nigeria yesterday (26 January). Fariq Maidguri, 18, and Abba Mohammed, 25, who was not caught, are accused of attempting to hold a ceremony for their relationship. The suspects, most of them teenagers, were… Read more »

My gay life in Nigeria – Isolation, danger & fear

Ethan Regal* tells his personal story of living in Nigeria as a gay man: When I was a young boy in Lagos, Nigeria, I had a mysterious, unexplainable tingling sensation whenever I saw an attractive guy. The stories I heard regarding romance involved a boy and girl. So I thought to myself: maybe I’m a… Read more »

Nigerian Archbishop tells government: Stop punishing gays

A Catholic Archbishop in Nigeria says the country’s government is “wrong” to be “punishing” gay Nigerians. The Archbishop of Jos, Ignatius Kaigama, has condemned Nigeria’s draconian anti-gay legislation, saying the Catholic Church is against “the criminalisation of people with different sexual orientations”. Speaking to Catholic publication The Tablet at The Vatican on Monday, Archbishop Kaigama… Read more »

Homophobia not only affects human rights, but also growth

As a gay man living in Nigeria, my biggest challenge was choosing between my sexuality and my job. In 2004, I was at the start of my acting career. I had just left university, and I was featured in “Roses and Thorns,” a prime-time soap opera on Galaxy Television, one of Nigeria’s most popular TV… Read more »

Gay Nigerians stripped naked and whipped in public after sex party

A gay man from Lagos reported a group of gay Nigerians to the authorities after they refused to give him money for sex Five gay Nigerian men were detained, stripped naked and beaten in public last week after they refused to give money to a sexual partner from Lagos who was blackmailing them. According to… Read more »

Nigeria: 4 men charged with breaking anti-gay laws whipped in Islamic court

A human rights group says four men convicted of breaking anti-gay laws have been whipped publicly in an Islamic court in Bauchi, northern Nigeria. The Associated Press reports the men were among dozens arrested after Nigeria strengthened laws against same-sex sexual activity in January. Dorothy Aken’Ova of the Coalition for the Defence of Sexual Rights… Read more »

Nigerian Anglican Church requiring office holders to denounce homosexuality

The Anglican Church in Nigeria has banned homosexuals and bisexuals from all official roles within the church – forcing potential office holders to denounce homosexuality before God People seeking to hold official positions within the Anglican Church of Nigeria are being forced to swear that they are not gay before God – inviting God to… Read more »

Award winning Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Adichie slams anti-gay laws

Award winning Nigerian author and poet Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has spoken out about the further criminalization of homosexuality in her homeland – calling it a victimless crime Nigerian author and poet Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has criticized legislative efforts to further suppress the LGBTI community in Nigeria in an opinion piece for News Wire Nigeria published… Read more »

Wielding Whip and a Hard New Law, Nigeria Tries to ‘Sanitize’ Itself of Gays

Bauchi, Nigeria — The young man cried out as he was being whipped on the courtroom bench. The bailiff’s leather whip struck him 20 times, and when it was over, the man’s side and back were covered with bruises. Still, the large crowd outside was disappointed, the judge recalled: The penalty for gay sex under… Read more »

Nigerian gay people being hunted down

In northern Nigeria, gay men are being hunted down. In front of Bauchi state’s Sharia Commission, a white-walled two-storey building, men in dark green uniforms are awaiting orders from their boss. The man in charge of the Islamic police, or Hisbah, says the hunt began when the Hausa Leadership newspaper reported last year that homosexuals… Read more »

Nigeria: Trial of men accused of being gay suspended due to ‘mob justice’ fears

Two Islamic courts in Nigeria have suspended the trials of 10 men accused of breaking laws against homosexuality over fears stones will once again be thrown at the defendants. An angry crowd last Wednesday pelted stones at several men suspected of breaking Islamic law banning homosexuality after their hearing was adjourned at the Upper Sharia… Read more »

Nigeria’s Gay ‘Witch Hunt’ Has Lead To Arrests In 4 States: Amnesty International

Lagos, Nigeria (AP) — A “witch hunt” for gay people has led to arrests in at least four of Nigeria’s 36 states, Amnesty International said Wednesday, blaming a new law criminalizing gay organizations and meetings as well as same-sex marriage. It said the law’s disregard for human rights mirrors that of the military dictators who… Read more »

38 gay men arrested in Nigeria, 130 more to go

Human rights activists claim police have a list of 168 gay men in northern Nigeria and will arrest every last one Dozens of gay men are being arrested in northern Nigeria, human rights activists have said. The police have allegedly drawn up a list of 168 wanted gay men. 38 have been arrested in recent… Read more »

Nigeria: 11 Muslim men accused of being gay face possible death sentence by religious court

Get the latest LGBT headlines in your inbox with our free daily newsletter! An Islamic court in Nigeria has put on trial 11 Muslim men accused of violating their religion due to their alleged sexuality – if found guilty they could be sentenced to death by stoning. The trials are taking place in the country’s… Read more »

Nigeria bans gay marriage, gay meetings

Abuja, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s president has signed a law that bans same-sex marriage and criminalizes homosexual associations, societies and meetings, with penalties of up to 14 years in jail. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act on Monday. It was signed by President Goodluck Jonathan and dated Jan.… Read more »

A new anti-homosexuality law in Nigeria

The legislature of Katsina State in northern Nigeria added to that country’s patchwork quilt of anti-gay laws on Dec. 3, passing a law providing for 14 years in prison for same-sex relations between either men or women. The same state law also applies to anyone convicted of same-sex sexual harassment of students, job-seekers, employees and… Read more »