LGBT Rights in Nigeria

LGBT Rights In Nigeria

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Nigeria face unique legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. The country's record on human rights, including LGBT rights, is very poor. There is no legal protection against discrimination in Nigeria — a largely conservative country of more than 170 million people, split between a mainly Muslim north and a largely Christian south. Very few LGBT persons are open about their orientation, and violence against LGBT people is frequent.

Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Nigeria. The maximum punishment in the twelve northern states that have adopted Shari'a law is death by stoning. That law applies to all Muslims and to those who have voluntarily consented to application of the Shari'a courts. In southern Nigeria and under the secular criminal laws of northern Nigeria, the maximum punishment for same-sex sexual activity is 14 years' imprisonment. Legislation is pending to criminalize same-sex marriage throughout the country.

According to the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project, 97 percent of Nigerian residents believe that homosexuality is a way of life that society should not accept, which was the second-highest rate of non-acceptance in the 45 countries surveyed.

Nigeria has been widely criticized by human and civil rights organizations, as well as the United Nations, for failing to uphold, and even violating, the rights of LGBT people.