Trouble as Lagos arraigns hotelier, two others for promoting homosexuality

Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Friday remanded three men accused of owning a hotel which promotes homosexuality.

The accused, Patrick Okeze, 56; Sunday Isnag, 30;  and Bright Oba, 28; whose addresses were not provided, are facing a charge of aiding and promoting same sex activities.

Chief Magistrate Adewale Ojo, who gave the remand order, said the accused should be remanded in Kirikiri Prisons pending the receipt of legal advice from the Office of the Director of  Public Prosecution.

Ojo adjourned the case till  Sept. 8.

The trio had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Prosecutor,  Romanus Unuigbe,  told the court that the accused committed the offences on July 29 at Vintage Hotel, Owode Onirin, Lagos.

He told the court that the accused encouraged same sex activities in the club and bar section of the hotel while  28 men engaging in homosexuality were apprehended there.

“We got an information that the accused were operating a bar where gays are allowed to practise their immoral acts;  even minors were encouraged to practise it too,’’ he said.

Unuigbe said the offences contravened  Section 5 (2) of the Same Sex (Prohibition) Act, 2014, Laws of Lagos State.

The 28 men and 12 minors alleged to be engaging in homosexual activities were arraigned by the Lagos State Government on Thursday.

The men, aged between 18 and 32 appeared before Chief Magistrate Adewale Ojo while the minors were arraigned before Magistrate Segun Elias of an Ebute-Metta Magistrates’  Court in a closed-session.NAN/Punch