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The 42 alleged gay men arrested by the Police on Saturday were arraigned on a one count charge before a Lagos Magistrate Court today.
According to the criminal charge, the defendants were said to have “On or about 29th July, 2017, at Vintage Hotel, No. 999 Ikorodu Road/Toyin Close, Weigh Bridge, Owode Onirin, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did engage in gay activities by permitting male persons to have canal knowledge of themselves against the order of nature and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 261 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.”
The defendants pleaded not guilty and their lawyers asked the court to admit them to a bail. The prosecutors however did not oppose the bail application but urged the Court to direct the defendants to submit themselves to the Lagos State Aids Control Agency (LSACA) for monitoring and Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) for rehabilitation.
In his ruling, the Chief Magistrate granted bail to the defendants in the sum of N500, 000 and two sureties in like sum. This means the defendants will have to pay the sum together and the two sureties will serve as guarantors and will pay the money if the defendants escape or don’t appear in court.
One of the sureties, according to the Court, must be a relative of the defendants, while the other must be resident within the court’s jurisdiction. The sureties must also present evidence of tax payment. The Magistrate also granted the request of the prosecution demanding monitoring and Sexual rehabilitation for the defendants, while the matter was adjourned to September 8, 2017.
However, The HCT services rendered at the party were not mentioned and there has not been a clear explanation of the “acts” these men were caught in.
This is a developing story and we will update as we get more information. If anything changes, we will clarify and update accordingly.
