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Court Case of 47 Nigerian Men Charged Under Homosexuality Law Delayed Again

Reuters

   LAGOS - A closely-watched trial of 47 Nigerian men charged with public
   displays of affection with members of the same sex, seen as a test of a
   law criminalizing homosexuality, was delayed for a third time on
   Wednesday after a lead witness did not appear.

   Justice Rilwan Aikawa at the Lagos court warned prosecutors that the
   adjournment, to March 3, would be the last he granted them. The case
   was previously adjourned twice after the prosecution failed to produce
   witnesses.

   Homosexuality is outlawed in many socially conservative African
   societies where some religious groups brand it a corrupting Western
   import.

   On Tuesday, the prosecution opened its case by producing a police
   inspector witness who shared only his name, rank and that he knew the
   defendants from "anti-cultism" work.

   The lead witness was due to appear on Wednesday but Prosecutor Joseph
   Eboseremen said the witness had not received a court summons on time.

   The men, who face a 10-year jail term if convicted, were arrested in an
   August 2018 police raid on a Lagos hotel. Police said they were being
   "initiated" into a gay club, but the men said they were attending a
   birthday party.

   Police paraded the accused in front of journalists at a press
   conference held by the state police commissioner the day after the
   raid.

   The men pleaded not guilty to the charge last November, and said the
   prolonged case is causing financial and emotional distress.

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