Two men charged with homosexuality in Jos

Two men, Emeka Eze, 35, and Jonathan
Akatin, 22, were on Thursday arraigned in
an Upper Area Court, Jos, and charged with
homosexual behaviour.
Eze and Akatin, who reside in Alheri Area of
Jos, were arraigned on a one-count charge.
The prosecutor, Mr Gokwat Ibrahim, told
the court that the accused committed the
offence at 10 p.m. on Sept. 7.
Ibrahim said the accused were arrested by
the police following a tip-off by their
neighbours, who alleged that they had
been engaging in unnatural sex.
“The accused have been committing the
offence in their compound publicly, which
is against the order of nature.
“During police investigation, the suspects
confessed to the crime,” he said.
The prosecutor said that the accused, by
their behaviour, committed an offence
contrary to Section 284 of the Penal Code.
Ibrahim urged the court to give the
accused a summary trial due to
their confessional statement.
“The court should rely on Section 157 (1) of
the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) that
stipulates quick judgment for anybody who
confesses to his or her crime,” the
prosecutor said.
He, however, said that the sentence should
be reserved pending the conclusion of
police investigation into the matter.
When the case came up for hearing, the
accused pleaded guilty to the charge and
begged the court for leniency.
They said that they did not know that it was
an offence to indulge in homosexuality.
The Presiding Officer, Malam Mustapha
Hassan, ordered the accused to be
remanded in prison custody and adjourned
the case to Oct. 10 for hearing. (NAN)