High court in Nigeria tosses lawsuit challenging anti-gay law
The Federal High Court of Nigeria has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2013, contending that the plaintiff did not have legal standing because he is straight and not harmed by the law.
Human rights activists said that the ruling, while disappointing, actually opens the door for a new legal action against the anti-gay law. Nigeria, one of the world’s most populous nations, is also one of the worst places on Earth for LGBT rights.
Teriah Joseph Ebah, 42, a straight Nigerian who has lived in the UK for more than a decade and has a wife and children, sued the Nigerian government after the strict anti-gay law was signed into law. Ebah and his attorney argued that the law is discriminatory and criminalizes all things gay and punishes ordinary people who do not report the gays.
Oh well, they tried. Hopefully, there’ll come forward a plaintiff (you, him, her and me) who has the appropriate legal standing to challenge the law.
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31 Comments
McGray
October 25, 05:27I dnt really see the difference, this anti-gay law is d same as wen dia is no law. I mean things are stil d same, to my own knowledge.
king
October 25, 05:36Oh definitely not MCgray I actually duff my hat off to this guy for at least having the gunctuon to wage a fight. If he had won his day in court It would have definitely sent a message to the most homo phobic of Nigerians that we are part of a greater world now and really cannot be isolated anymore in some old traditional beliefs some in Nigeria have held up for so long now. It would definitely send a message if not of acceptance yet but of tolerance and awareness that gays are actually PEOPLE Too! And that YES in NIGERIA there are plenty of us!!!!
gad
October 25, 06:28A wise saying goes thus ” In the end, I don’t remember the actions of my enemies but the silence of my friends”. How many of us are willing to join the struggle? None. I still remember during the public hearing on this bill, Anene, a 23yrs or so young Nigerian and a couple of other guys appeared before the committee under an NGO and made a case for gay Nigerians.Their case was so valid and infallible but the committee defeated their arguments by claiming that no Nigerian is gay because they haven’t seen any before and none has come forward to say he is gay. They further called on Nigerian gays (if they exist) to indicate but none came forward. And I ask,where are the gays? Where are the men? Where are all of us who can bring down men with their tongues? What about the Queens?
chestnut
October 25, 07:11Wait, Gad, in ur second comment…so,during d public hearing of the bill, d committee actually said NO nigerian is gay? Can u see d foolishness of Nigerian law-makers? If they believe NO Nigerian is gay, then why waste time, effort and resources in proffering a “solution” to a “problem” that “doesn’t” exist? Smh
pinkpanthertb
October 25, 07:13GBAM!!!
Exactly!
Why bother waste taxpayers’ money on deliberations banning something that is practised by, according to you, no one? Jeez! The idiocy of our lawmakers knows no bounds.
pinkpanthertb
October 25, 05:42Things may still be the same, but these battles have to be fought. the law sanctioned all sorts of crimes committed against gays in Nigeria. Blackmail. Extortion. Beatings. Because of course if you make too much noise, you can always be sent to jail. But if the law is upturned, the only thing we’d need to fear is exposure to friends and family, which was how it’d always been. A fear of being forced out of the closet is different from a fear of being jailed.
gad
October 25, 06:39Pinky dear, can u suggest how we can fight this battle? If the law santions crimes against gays which I doubt, then it cant be a law under our constitution. Any law that supports what the constitution regards as crime like,blackmail,extortion,assault and battery etc is voidable,unenforceable and repugnant therefore can easily be upturned by any court. What obtains is that homophobics( I prefer to use criminals) hide under the law to commit crimes against naive and ignorant gay men.
gad
October 25, 06:14The difference is that the In the 1999 constitution homosexuality carries a 7yrs sentence while d new bill has 14yrs. Another difference is that the new law has a coverage eg, criminalising of gay rendezvous like clubs etc,care givers,public show of affection between same sex persons etc. Failure to report the a crime if one has knowledge of it has always been an offense in our books.
#TeamKizito
October 25, 06:10Abi.
Max
October 25, 06:13Wow.. Didn’t see that coming . they’re actually smart.. “The law doesn’t affect him”
So they need a homosexual to bring the case so they can jail him..
Talk of fool-proof law..
pinkpanthertb
October 25, 06:25As in eh
king
October 25, 07:54Dear Max…it’s actually not about smartness but about the law and it’s tenets. In law one cannot truly win any case except you have VESTED interest….eh am not sure of the legal term but it is what it is….so from the onset the lawyers who represents the poor str8t guy should have asked him for a sibling or relative who was gay….then we will be talking!!
anonymous
October 25, 06:17One thing I’m sure of, Nigeria is fighting a battle they would lose eventually against homosexuality. Victory might not come today, but it would come eventually… keep hope alive and fight in your own little way.
gad
October 25, 07:08I totally agree with you. The battle is a lost one against one against the enemies of Nigeria. The the un-teachable ignorants,the gay lawmakers who voted 4 d bill,the thieving politicians,the gay blackmailers/scammers/set-ups, and all gay who won’t lend their voices in their little corners are all enemies of Nigeria.
gad
October 25, 07:13May God bless this courageous and honest Nigerian for daring to take this first step and Pinky for bringing the news to us ,then my Mum for all her support and understanding
Dennis Macauley
October 25, 07:35Duhhhh!
Aproko Pikin
October 25, 07:52Double duh!:!!
Khaleesi
October 25, 08:09Dennis, this bitch you’re slowly learning how to become these days … ***slowly removes glasses and fixes stare at you in 3D***
Dennis Macauley
October 25, 08:15LOL!
There was no other appropriate response na!
We all knew the case was gonna get thrown out from day one! It was dead on arrival!
Maybe I should have said #Yimu
kylie
October 25, 07:53exactly my thoughts
simba
October 25, 08:06@ Gad I totally agree with u. But pls, where are our learned gentlemen.. our lawyers and barristers, pls educate us more abi we no get pinky lawyers.
Dennis Macauley
October 25, 08:17Khaleesi is almost a SAN
Oya over to you my dear Khaleesi, please “kowatiate”!
gad
October 25, 10:02Some of our lawyers are trying in their own little corners. I used to be in contact with one in Ogun state Judiciary who renders legal assistance to gays. We can’t thank him and his likes enough
victor
October 25, 09:44Too bad,thought we would have progress from here
pinkpanthertb
October 25, 12:58Don’t give up yet victor
Legalkoboko
October 26, 02:59I have neither the originating processes by which the suit was commenced, nor the ruling of the court.
But I think the judgment, with due respect to his Lordship, is perverse. It can successfully go on an Appeal.
It is clear that the ruling was anchored on the legal concept of locus standi.
” Locus standi means a place of standing
or a right of audience in court to
prosecute a claim or the legal right to
seek judicial intervention in a
controversy or dispute or to invoke
judicial determination of the rights of
parties to a dispute . As far as the
common law is concerned, only a
person whose right has been violated or
is in danger of being violated by the act
complained of can approach a court for
redress.
However, in order to mitigate the
injustice inherent in the rigid
application of locus standi , the doctrine
of actio popularis was developed under
the Roman Law. As a concept it allows
any citizen to challenge the breach of
public right in court. “- Malachy Ugwumadu
To make matters worse for this ruling and for the Judge, the new Fundamental Rights Enforcement (Civil Procedure) Rules 2009 makes it abundantly clear that locus standi is no longer applicable in fundamental rights enforcement cases.
The judge, and the defence counsel know this. Yet they gave free reign to their bigotry in public.
Shocking!
That ruling simply can’t stand the scrutiny of an Appeal.
I hope the fighters haven’t lost their appetite for a good legal battle.
Legalkoboko
October 26, 03:10My point is this: an Igbo man from Anambra State can commence a fundamental rights action against ANYONE, asking the court to protect an aspect of Yoruba culture which is in danger of extinction.
You don’t need to be Yoruba before you can do that! That’s the law.
gad
October 26, 05:30Your explanations made me so happy and full of hope but I was saddened by your concluding statement. I expected you to volunteer to join the legal team but alas…
Legalkoboko
October 26, 05:41Lol.
Maybe you could help me find out where they are. Do a little homework off your own first.
*winks*
gad
October 26, 06:17I sure will, if that’s a contribution from me,I consider it so little. How can I reach you
Legalkoboko
October 26, 06:52You can ask Pinky for my pin, or you can give him yours to help forward to me.