Menace of homosexuality in our society

The Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill was signed into law on January 7, 2014, by President Goodluck Jonathan. The law imposes a 14-year prison sentence on anyone who enters into a same-sex marriage contract or civil union,” and a 10-year sentence on individuals or groups, including religious leaders, who “witness, abet, and aid the solemnization of a same-sex marriage or union.” It imposes a 10-year prison sentence on those who “directly or indirectly make a public show of a same-sex amorous relationship” and anyone who “registers, operates, or participates in gay clubs, societies, and organizations,” including supporters of those groups.

The Nigerian Senate approved the bill on November 29, 2011, and the House of Representatives passed it on its third and final reading in May 2013. A “harmonization committee” finalized the bill in December, preparing the way for President Jonathan’s signature.

The rate at which homosexuality increases in Nigeria calls for worry, and all hands must be on deck to check it, most especially within the young demography.

Crackdown on homosexuality is still ongoing in Nigeria, and individuals involved will face the wrath of the law; this makes many homosexuals in Nigeria leave to the Western world for safety.

When our reporter visited a local police station in Isolo to find out the rate of homosexuality cases reported in the area, it was reported that more than 40 people were invited to clear their names, and many of them were not found.

The case of Amoo Azeez Olayemi was among the cases that spurred the attention of the community due to his late father’s role as a religious figure in the community, and the boy has left the community since the issue broke out.

This is one out of many that came to the public between 2022 and 2024. The religious leaders urge the Nigerian government to do something about the menace of homosexuality as the number of people practising this in the society has not reduced although it’s punishable under the law in the country.