Court orders arrest of 6 LGBTQ+ suspects over missed trial in Nasarawa

A High Court in Mararaba-Garku, Nasarawa State, has issued arrest warrants for six individuals who failed to appear for their trial regarding an alleged illegal LGBTQ+ gathering.

The suspects, Sue Ajiluku, Kessilogu Nonim, Adisa Attah, Fosa Melo-Ogai, Irene Okoro, and Tela Odojie were part of a larger group of 24 people originally charged with holding an outlawed gay party at Voxquay Holiday Gardens in Masaka. 

The group was apprehended on New Year's Day by local vigilantes and subsequently handed over to the police.

Although the court had previously granted them administrative bail, the six defendants were absent from the inaugural trial session on January 9, prompting the judge to order their immediate arrest.

The case underscores the severe legal environment surrounding LGBTQ+ issues in Nigeria, where the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act stipulates a 14-year prison sentence for homosexuality. 

In some northern states operating under Sharia law, penalties can be as extreme as death by stoning.