Three Gay Men Sentenced To Death By Stoning In Nigeria

Three men in Nigeria have been sentenced to death by stoning for being gay. 

A Sharia Court in Ningi handed down the sentence after hearing witness statements as well as the confessions of the men. 

According to the Nigerian newspaper The Guardian, the men, aged 20, 30, and 70 were sentenced by Judge Munka’ilu Sabo Ningi, under provision 134 of Bauchi State Penal Law of 2001 and Fiquhussunah Jizu’i number 2.

The men were detained by members of the Hisbah Vanguard in June.

According to Human Dignity Trust, an LGBTI+ Legal organisation, Same-sex activity is “criminalised at the state level through Sharia law, under which the maximum sentence is death by stoning. In addition to potentially being captured by laws that criminalise same-sex activity, trans people may also face prosecution under state level Sharia laws.”

“There have been consistent reports of discrimination and violence being committed against LGBT people in recent years, including assault, mob attacks, harassment, extortion, and the denial of basic rights and services.”