Court Case of Three Men Charged Under Bisexual Law Delayed Again
The trial of Aro Opeyemi and two others, Ife Afeez and Bello Lukman, in connection with same-sex sexual activities seen as a test of a law criminalizing homosexuality, was delayed for a fourth time on Monday at the State High Court sitting in Ring Road, Ibadan, after the lead witness did not appear.
Justice Rilwan Ayinde of the Oyo State High Court warned prosecutors that the adjournment, to August 28, would be the last he will grant them. Previously, the prosecution failed to produce the required witnesses, leading to four adjourments of the case.
Defense attorney for the three men charged with homosexuality and public displays of affection with members of the same sex, Gabriel Usman, who spoke to the media during an interview at the state High Court in Ibadan, said the Police, who claimed to still be looking for the fourth suspect, one Pastor Ogunsola Adewale Paul, who is at large, seem to be hindering the case.
The men, who face a 10-year jail term if convicted, were arrested in Ajeigbe area Challenge Ibadan on 23, October 2023.after a Police raid on a hotel and they were paraded in front of journalists at a press conference held by the state Police Commissioner.
It will be recalled that an Islamic Sharia Court in Nigeria’s Northern state of Bauchi sentenced three men to death by stoning after convicting them on charges of engaging in homosexuality on July 2, 2022. Northern Nigeria and the states in the region use Sharia Courts to punish residents for crimes ranging from adultery to blasphemy.
