Nigerian police accused of blackmail and extortion
Nigerian police arrested more than 200 people at what they said was a gay wedding last weekend, and have since charged 67 of them under a 2014 law that criminalises same-sex marriage. The “illicit event” was held in Warri in Delta State, where a police spokesman said at a press conference on Tuesday: “We cannot copy the western world… we are Nigeria and we must follow the culture of this country.” A list of items taken from the premises included a bottle of codeine, “three cups of refined Canadian loud [a strong synthetic form of cannabis], five sachets of SK, one sachet of tramadol, four tablets of molly drug, one crusher [and] gay marriage ceremonial dresses”. Police said they were tipped off by a guest questioned on a routine patrol, who confessed “upon interrogation” to being a member of a gay club. Amnesty International accused police of using the anti-LGBT+ law for extortion and blackmail.
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