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Nigerian Lesbian In
Hiding After Gay Wedding
26 Apr 2007-
Lagos- A lesbian has reportedly gone into hiding to avoid imprisonment
after marrying four women. The whereabouts of her brides is unknown.
Reuters, quoting local media in the city of Kano, reports that Aunty
Maiduguri, 45, married the four 2,000 guests looked on.
The wedding was
followed by two days of feasting. Kano is one of 12 Islamic states in
northern Nigeria. It introduced Sharia law in 2000, making homosexuality
a capital crime.
"As defenders
of Sharia law, we shall not allow this unhealthy development to take
place," Rabo Abdulkarim, deputy commander of the state Islamic police,
told ThisDay newspaper, Reuters said.
"We are
investigating the matter with a view to find the culprits and punish
them." Federal law also bans homosexuality. Anyone convicted could face
up to 14 years behind bars. Last year it became a crime for same-sex
Nigerian couples to travel abroad to marry.
The government
also is considering legislation that would strip gays and lesbians of
all civil rights.
The bill
started out as a ban on same-sex marriage and has been revised to make
it a crime for more than two gay people to be in the same venue at the
same time.
It prohibits
LGBT social or civil rights groups from forming. It would be illegal to
sell or rent property to same-sex couples, watch a gay film or video,
visit an LGBT web site, or express same-sex love in a letter to one's
partner.
The legislation
goes so far as to make it a criminal offense to impart information of
HIV/AIDS to gays or for non-gays to meet with any group of gays for any
purpose. The penalty would be five years in prison with hard labor.
The bill has
the support of Nigeria's Anglican Church - the major religion in the
south - and its leader Archbishop Peter Akinola who has been at the
forefront of opposing gay clergy in the denomination. Conservative
Anglican churches in the US have aligned themselves with Akinola.
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