Police in Nigeria’s southern state of Delta have arrested 67 people suspected of attending a gay wedding.
Delta State police said in a statement that at 9pm local time on Sunday, officers on patrol intercepted a male cross-dresser at Ekpan Division.
The suspect claimed to be a film actor, police said.
“Upon interrogation, he confessed that he is a member of a certain gay club, and that he was on his way to join his fellow members for a gay marriage ceremony,” Delta State police said on Tuesday.
The suspect then led the law enforcement officers to the “wedding” venue, a local hotel where tens of attendees were arrested, while several fled.
“The police officers chased and arrested a total of 67 suspects, both male and female, for allegedly conducting and attending a same-sex wedding ceremony.”
14 years in prison
Police said that the supposed groom was 22 years old and the bride, also a man, was 20 years old.
Dresses, alcohol and drugs were among items recovered from the venue, police said.
Delta State Commissioner of Police Wale Abass said that the region “is not a place for any sort of same-sex relationship,” adding that “marriage is valid only when it is contracted between a man and a woman.”
Abass warned of a further crackdown on gay relationships within the state.
“Any act of defiance is detrimental and deviants would be brought to book in accordance with (Nigeria’s) Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2013,” he said.
Homosexuality is illegal in the West African nation, and suspects could face up to 14 years in prison if found guilty.
