Nigerian police raid gay wedding, arrest 67 people

The tipoff about the ceremony came during police interrogation on Aug. 27 of a male cross-dresser, who was dressed as a female, Delta police spokesman Edafe Bright said in a statement late on Tuesday.

Nigerian police raided a gay wedding, which is illegal in the country, in the southern city of Warri in Delta state, and arrested 67 people, authorities said in a statement, following a tipoff from a person who knew of the event. The tipoff about the ceremony came during police interrogation on Aug. 27 of a male cross-dresser, who was dressed as a female, Delta police spokesman Edafe Bright said in a statement late on Tuesday. The statement didn't say when the raid took place.

In Nigeria, like in most parts of Africa, homosexuality is generally viewed as unacceptable, and a 2014 anti-gay law took effect despite international condemnation. Cross-dressing is not illegal but tends to be socially not accepted. "The policemen chased and arrested a total number of 67 suspects both male and female for allegedly conducting and attending a same-sex wedding ceremony," Bright said.

Efforts were underway to arrest others who fled the scene, Bright said. Africa's most populous nation's anti-gay law includes a prison term of up to 14 years for those convicted, and bans gay marriage, same-sex relationships, and membership of gay rights groups.

 

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