—-Women urged to report abuse as Lagos launches DSVA campaign.
—-Payment of dowry won’t protect men from prosecution, Lagos Ministry of Justice warns.
The Lagos State Government has warned husbands against forcing their wives to have sex without consent, stating that such acts constitute sexual assault and carry a penalty of life imprisonment under state criminal law.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Mr. Adebayo Haroun, gave the warning on Monday during a press briefing to announce the flag-off of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness (DSVA) campaign.
Haroun made the clarification while responding to questions on whether a married woman can legally report her husband for non-consensual sexual intercourse.
He explained that while the law does not classify non-consensual sexual intercourse between married couples as “rape” when the marriage is intact and harmonious, the act constitutes “sexual assault by penetration” under Lagos State law once consent is explicitly denied.
According to him, a woman has full legal rights to report her husband if he forces her into sexual intercourse after she has refused consent, particularly during periods of marital conflict.
“Any man who feels that because he paid his wife’s dowry, nobody can challenge him for domestic violence, should be reported by the wife to the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency,” Haroun said.
He emphasized that a husband cannot rely on marital status or the payment of a bride price as legal justification for forced sexual acts.
“Under Lagos State criminal law, a man cannot be accused of raping his wife if they are together and on good terms,” Haroun explained. “However, once there is a dispute between them and the wife refuses to have sex with him, the husband cannot force her.”
“If the husband forces her and the wife reports the matter, we will not charge him with rape, but with sexual assault by penetration—and the punishment for that is life imprisonment,” he added.
The DPP’s warning is part of broader efforts by the Lagos State Government to raise public awareness about domestic and gender-based violence and to encourage victims to report abuse.
He urged women experiencing domestic or sexual violence to seek immediate help from relevant authorities rather than remaining silent due to marital or cultural pressures.
