By Ngozi Akums
Reports say seven gay men have been arrested in Bauchi State on charges of being involved in Same-Sex relationships.
The men, namely Shehu Adamu, Yusuf Adamu, Aliyu Dalhatu, Abdulmalik Tanko, Usman Sabo Hadif, Sabo Abubakar and Ibrahim Marfa were reportedly arrested by the Bauchi State Sharia Commission. The state has been practicing the Islamic system of Justice widely known as the ‘Sharia Law’ since 2001.
The men who appeared in court last week were said to have been pelted with stones by people who came to the venue of their trial. It took the intervention of the police before they could be dispersed.
‘The case drew thousands of protesters to the court, who threw stones at the men as they were being transported back to prison after the trial. Security officials were forced to fire into the air to disperse the angry crowd’, Channels TV reports.
The prosecution lawyer Danladi Ayuba said the clamp down on homosexuals was in line with the recent Anti-gay bill passed into law by the National Assembly.
‘This is further to the law against homosexuals which was signed by the President. It has to be implemented. People caught breaking this law must be prosecuted accordingly’, he concluded.
If found guilty, the accused men may spend up to 14 years in prison as stipulated by the new law.
The case has been adjourned.
