Controversy in Nigeria as police say sex in car is not a crime

It is a common practice for partners to engage in sexual activities in their vehicles. For some, this is sexy while others would rather frown on it.

In many jurisdictions in Africa, such kind of pleasure, particularly having sexual intercourse in public, is illegal and may result in prosecutions, though in many instances the law is unclear on such matters.

This week, there were news reports of a couple that was harassed by a mob for having sex in a car at an undisclosed area in Lagos, Nigeria. The incident triggered debates as to whether the residents were wrong or otherwise in shaming the couple, while others raised issues about what the country’s laws are on car sex.

To this extent, a Twitter user asked the Head of the Nigeria Police Force’s Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit, ACP Yomi Shogunle, for clarification.

“Sex in a car in a public place is not a crime in Nigeria,” the Nigerian police official said, adding that the location must, however, not be a place of worship, the act must be consensual while persons involved in that form of pleasure must be 18 years old or above, of the opposite sex.

His tweet has since gone viral and generated a lot of controversies. Critics say his tweet has given people the liberty to proceed with such activities, a move that tends to legalise immorality, rape, indecency and enhance obscenity.

Here’s how people are reacting to the development: