The Lagos State Police Command, headed by Commissioner of Polce CP Edgal Imohimi has warned Lagosians not to listen to the earlier statement credited to Assistant Commissioner of Police, Abayomi Shogunle, as he warned that anyone caught having sex inside a car in a public place in the state, stand the risk of being jailed for 2 years.
CP Edgal Imohimi in a statement released a few hours ago, said his attention has been drawn to the tweet put out by Aboyomi Shogunle where he said Sex in public place is not a crime, giving instances where Sex in Public places cannot be seen to be a crime. Abayomi Shogunle’s tweet reads:
Sex in a car in a public place is not a crime in Nigeria provided;
1. Location is not a place of worship
2. Parties are 18 yrs+
3. The act is consensual (agreed to by parties)
4. Parties are of opposite sex
If threatened with an arrest over above, pls contact @PoliceNG_PCRRU.
The full statement of the Commissioner of Police countering Abayomi Shogunle’s tweets, reads:
“The attention of the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Imohimi Edgal has been drawn to an online publication credited to @POLICENG_PCRRU to the effect that ” Sex in a car in a public place is not a crime in Nigeria provided;
1. Location is not a place of worship
2. Parties are 18yrs+
3. The act is consensual (agreed to by parties)
4. Parties are of opposite sex
If threatened with arrest over above, pls contact @POLICENG_PCRRU”
Sequel to the development, the CP Lagos has been advised by the Director of Public Prosecution of the state Ministry of Justice and the Legal Department of the State Police Command, Panti, Yaba with relevant sections of the law as follows:
Section 134 (a) Criminal Law of Lagos state 2015 prohibits any indecent act in any public place without lawful excuse. The law holds that such person is liable on conviction to 2 years imprisonment.
Section 136 of the Criminal Law of Lagos state, 2015 provides that any person who commits any act of gross indecency with another person in public commits an offence and liable on conviction to 3 years imprisonment.
It must be noted that section 134 which deals with offences against morality particularly section 134 (a) have it that indecent act in a public place makes both parties engaging in the act liable to imprisonment for 2 years.
In the same vein, section 231 of the Criminal Code Act which is a Federal law and applicable in states other than the northern states where Penal Code is applicable also make Indecent Acts punishable.
Going forward, the authorities of the Lagos State Police Command hereby declares that the assertion that sex in a car in a public place is not a crime in Nigeria is misplaced as the provisions of the Criminal Law of Lagos State prohibits such acts in public even if it is done with consent of the other party
To this end, the Commissioner of Police, CP Imohimi Edgal wants Lagosians to be guided by relevant sections of the law against such acts