Cross-dressing isn’t illegal in Nigeria, but same-gender marriage is,” a prominent lawyer shares his view on the Bobrisky saga.

Nigerian lawyer Pelumi Olajengbesi recently shared his reflections on the Bobrisky saga, VeryDarkMan’s arrest, and the legal context surrounding them on his Facebook page.

He asserts that VeryDarkMan’s arrest stemmed from making inaccurate statements against the Nigerian police and prominent individuals, leading to his current predicament.

However, he clarifies that detention can only last for 48 hours unless certain bail conditions are not fulfilled.

In regards to the Bobrisky issue, Barrister Pelumi notes that while cross-dressing may be considered morally contentious, it is not legally prohibited.

He was quoted saying:

I have also seen a lot of posts stating that the Police have refused to arrest Bobrisky. Kindly note the following: a. Cross-dressing is not a crime under Nigerian law as of today. Dressing like another sex and even identifying as the same is not ipso facto a crime under Nigerian Law.

What exactly is a crime in Nigeria is the marriage of same-sex couples or registering a gay club. Even when an individual is married as gay in the United Kingdom and his gay partner is living in Nigeria, such marriage is only invalid and unenforceable in Nigeria but not a crime except when they come and live together in Nigeria as a married couple. Therefore, your knowledge that a person is gay does not amount to a crime as such people also have their fundamental rights in law. The only offence in law is marriage sex which must be proved by partners conducting the marriage or living together.

However, a person who openly states in public that he or she is into homosexuality may only at best be arrested for corrupting public morality, which can be contended as subjective.

Again, just advice, observation, and pointer to better help us learn and understand the operation of our laws.