Leave or face criminal prosecution: Nigerian police tell 'gay community'

If you're homosexually inclined, Nigeria is not a place for you, says Lagos Police spokesperson

A high-ranking Nigerian policewoman has warned gay people living in the country to leave or risk criminal prosecution.

Dolapo Badmos, a Chief Superintendent and spokeswoman for the Lagos State Police Command, made the remarks on her personal Instagram account, which is set to private and has 125,000 followers, CNN reported.

"If you're homosexually inclined, Nigeria is not a place for you," Badmos wrote last week.

"There is a law [Same-sex Prohibition Act] here that criminalises homosexual clubs,

associations, and organizations with penalties of up to 14yeats (sic) in jail,” she wrote.



"So if you are homosexual in nature, leave the country or face prosecution," Badmos said, who has attained celebrity status in the country due to her frequent social media posts.

Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan signed the controversial Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA) into law, despite widespread international objection.

Those found guilty of being in a same-sex relationship face up to 14 years in jail.

The law was widely condemned by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch at the time, as well as the then United States Secretary of State, John Kerry.

Badmos' comments are the latest reminder of the challenges facing members of the LGBT community in a country where the anti-gay law enjoys broad support among its citizens.

According to a survey of 2,000 individuals conducted by The Initiative for Equal Rights (TIERs), a Nigeria-based human rights organization, about 90% of Nigerians support the continued enforcement of the SSMPA.