Sixty-nine individuals suspected of involvement in a same-sex wedding ceremony that took place in Ekpan Community, Uvwie Local Government Area (LGA) of Delta on August 27 have been granted bail.
The suspects' legal representative, Mr. Ochuko Ohimor, confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Warri that they were released on bail, each required to pay N500,000 and provide two sureties.
These sureties, as stipulated by Ohimor, must be residents within the jurisdiction of the Court in Effurun.
Additionally, the suspects are obligated to sign an undertaking at the State High Court of Justice in Effurun, Uvwie LGA, where they were initially arraigned on September 4.
Vincent Orarumen, the police prosecutor, had objected to the bail conditions, but the defense argued otherwise, asserting that the alleged offense was not a capital one.
It is worth noting that the suspects were publicly paraded before the media on August 29 at the Ekpan Police Station, following the directive of the Delta State Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr. Wale Abass.
They were apprehended by a specialized police team from the Ekpan Division during what they called an "all-white party" that was, in fact, a same-sex wedding ceremony.
The CP, during the parade, expressed his commitment to prosecuting the suspects in accordance with Nigeria's Anti-Gay Law, which explicitly forbids same-sex marriage in the country.
He stated, "I can guarantee that they will be charged to court. We are not taking it lightly. It is a clear case, though they are still presumed innocent until proven otherwise by the competent court."
