Forced Sex In Marriage: Lagos Govt Warns Husbands Of Life Imprisonment
By BENJAMIN OMOIKE
LAGOS, Nigeria – Lagos State Government has warned husbands against having sex with their wives without mutual consent, saying that the action attracts a life imprisonment. The warning was given on Monday by the Director of Public Prosecution, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Adebayo Haroun, at a briefing to announce the commencement of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness (DSVA) Month, September, 2026. Responding to a question on whether Nigerian law allows a married woman to sue her husband for rape for having sex with her without her consent as it’s obtainable in other countries, Adebayo said that while the law in Nigeria does not recognise such as as rape, it, however, categorised it as ‘Sexual Assault by Penetration” and attracts a life imprisonment under the state law. Adebayo noted that when couples are not in good terms and the husband forcefully have carnal knowledge of his wife without her consent, the wife has the right to sue the man for ‘sexual assault by penetration, even as he maintained that the man would be charged for other offence. “Any man that thought because he paid his wife’s dowry so nobody could challenge him for domestic violence, the wife should report such man to Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency. “Under Lagos State Criminal Law, a man cannot be accused of raping his wife if they are together and are in good terms. “However, once there’s an issue between them and the wife refuses to have sex with him, the husband cannot force her. “If the husband forced her and the wife reported him, we will not charge him for rape but for sexual assault by penetration and the punishment is life imprisonment,” he said.
