Prosecutors in the northern Nigeria state
of Kaduna have charged a group of 53
people with conspiring to celebrate a gay
wedding.


The accused, arrested last Saturday, have
denied the allegations, with their lawyers
saying they were illegally detained.
The court released the group on bail and the
case was remanded to 8 May.
Homosexual acts are banned in socially
conservative Nigeria and are punishable by up
to 14 years in jail.


During a court appearance in Chediya-Zaria,
the group pleaded not guilty to charges of
conspiracy, unlawful assembly and belonging
to an unlawful society.


Defence lawyer Yunusa Umar said most of the
accused were students and had been illegally
detained for more than 24 hours, the local
Premium Times newspaper reported.
Gay rights campaigners who have been in
touch with people involved in the case told
the

BBC’s Stephanie Hegarty in Lagos the accused
were arrested at a birthday party, not a
wedding.


Nigeria has an influential Christian evangelical
movement in the south and strong support
for
Islamic law in the north, both of which
oppose
homosexuality. see full post and photo at………… http://databaze.ga/2017/04/22/nigeria-gay-wedding-bust-leads-to-charges/