Over a year ago, precisely 26th of August 2018, 57 young Nigerians were arrested in the early hours of the morning at Kelly Ann Hotels, Egbeda on suspicion of cultism and ‘homosexual initiation’. As soon as they made the arrest, the news made it into the media with the police parading the victims of the arrest publicly. It didn’t take long for it to become viral.
According to a report by Reuters, The Lagos state Commissioner at the time, Imohini Edgal declared that homosexuality ran contrary to the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act. The bill which was signed into law in 2014 prohibits all forms of homosexual/same-sex amorous relationships with a prison term of 14 years. “It is the duty of everybody, not only the police, to ensure that such antisocial behaviour, such social vices, such crimes, are checked so that we can create communities that protect our children from such deviant behaviour,” he said.
However, it is glaring that the Nigerian police is yet to prove with evidence that the arrested men had committed any crime. Since the first hearing of Egbeda57 was made in November, the judge had adjourned the case three times for lack of evidence and the judge promised to dismiss the case at the next hearing in March 3rd 2020. This gave everyone high hopes that probably the cycle of media attention for this case would die down and all involved can begin to gather all that is left of their lives. Many had lost jobs, family relationships, and stripped of their dignity in society based on the arrest.
But that court hearing was two days ago, and again, the case has been adjourned till 2nd of April 2020 for the same reason – lack of witnesses and evidence.
We have again been adjourned at the instance of the prosecution for lack of witnesses and evidence. Court has been adjourned to 02/04/2020. #Egbeda57
— The Initiative for Equal Rights (@TIERsNigeria) March 3, 2020
It has been 18 months of uncertainty over this case, of a total standstill in the lives of those affected. It’s clear that the case is going nowhere and there is no form of evidence that the police can point to.
How much longer are we going to wait?
