ABUJA – Nigeria’s senate passed a Bill on Tuesday to criminalise gay marriage and any same-sex “amorous relationship”, a major step in putting in place a law that has drawn widespread criticism in western countries.
The senate increased the punishment for gay marriage from the five years’ imprisonment originally proposed in the draft Bill to 14 years. The legislation must be passed by the House of Representatives and signed by President Goodluck Jonathan before it becomes law.
Two similar Bills have been proposed since 2006 but failed to pass before the expiry of the parliamentary term. The current national assembly has more than three years left on its tenure. – (Reuters)
