Sixty-nine individuals who were apprehended on August 27th in Ekpan Community, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State during a gay wedding ceremony have been released on bail. Each suspect was granted bail with a sum of ₦500,000 (Nigerian Naira) and required to provide two sureties residing within the Effurun jurisdiction of the Court.
The suspects had been arraigned on September 4th at the State High Court of Justice in Effurun, Uvwie LGA. While the police prosecutor, Vincent Orarumen, opposed the bail condition, the suspects' lawyer argued that the alleged crime was not a capital offense.
They were initially arrested by police operatives during a gay wedding ceremony referred to as an "all white party" and were subsequently paraded before the media on August 29th. The Delta State Commissioner of Police, Wale Abass, stated that they would be charged in accordance with Nigeria's Anti-Gay Law, which prohibits same-sex marriage in the country.
The suspects remain presumed innocent until proven otherwise by a competent court, according to the CP.
