Nigerian lawyer speaks on the legal situation for LGBT’s in Nigeria

Ayo Sogunro a Nigerian lawyer has just delivered a bold statement before the African Commission on Human & People’s Rights (ACHPR) about how the Nigerian police targets and violates the rights of poorer LGBT persons in Nigeria.

Ayo Sogunro while making his statement.

Sogunro made the statement on behalf of The Initiatives for Equal Rights (TIERs) – a Nigerian human rights NGO and the Legal Defense and Assistant Project (LEDAP) – a Nigerian NGO for lawyers and law professionals.

Read related: Nigeria’s Anti-Gay Law Affects Us All!

The statement which was made today at the 63rd session of the African Commission held at the City of Banjul in the Gambia, centered on the need for human rights accountability with strong emphasis on how the Nigerian police uses socioeconomic profiling to target and violate the rights of poorer Nigerians on the basis of (real or perceived) sexual orientation/gender identity.

This is really important as there is no better time than now to start having crucial conversations around issues deeply affecting the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) persons in Nigeria, especially as the community is increasingly dealing with different forms of discrimination, homophobia and extreme violence from state and non-state actors.

Read also: Nigeria: Police arrest over 100 alleged gay and lesbians

African Commission on Human & People’s Rights (ACHPR) was set up by the African Charter in 1987 to promote and protect the human rights of all persons as well as to interpret the Charter on Human and people’s right.