A group of lawmakers in Niger has backed a motion seeking to criminalise same-sex relationships in the country.
The vast majority of Niger’s population is Muslim, but it has a secular government and there is currently no specific law on same-sex relationships.
The MPs say same-sex relationships are against the religious and cultural beliefs of the people.
The proposal was presented to the Speaker of Parliament by Nana Djibou Harouna, a lawmaker from the southern region of Maradi.
She told a press conference in the capital, Niamey, that the move was meant to protect the “rights and interest of the public”.
Mrs Harouna described homosexuality as a “problem affecting our society”.
She said they had carried out wide consultations and that the proposal had received the support of Nigerien citizens as well as nearly all MPs.
It’s not yet clear when the matter will be formally debated in parliament. It is also unclear what sort of punishment they want stipulated in the legislation.
The move comes just weeks after a court in acquitted two young women of charges relating to lesbianism because there was no clear legislation criminalising same-sex relationship.
They were instead jailed for two years after being found guilty of posting their nude videos on social media in which they were seen allegedly in a lesbian act.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
