The trial of 47 men arrested for alleged homosexuality in Lagos has commenced.
The men were said to be among 57 people arrested during a routine raid by the police in 2017, for allegedly engaging in “public show of same sex amorous relationship with each other in hidden places”.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them by the police.
Xeenarh Mohammed, executive director of The Initiative for Equal Rights (TIERS) in Lagos, counsel to the 47 men, confirmed their appearance in court on Thursday.
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Mohammed alleged that the police invaded the venue of a birthday party where the men were arrested without prior notice.
“The taxi driver that was delivering a cake to the birthday party was detained. A man that was looking to book a room at the hotel was also arrested. Each one of them has a unique story to tell about that day,” CNN quoted Mohammed as saying.
“Many of them were disowned by their families after they saw them on TV. A dry cleaner among them lost clients that feared he could introduce their kids to homosexual acts.”
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Homosexuality is a punishable offence under the same sex marriage prohibition act.
The anti-gay law signed by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014 prescribes a 14-year jail term for same-sex relationship.
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