The police high command has offered reasons why it can’t arrest cross dressers in the country.
There have been calls for the arrest of cross dressers presumed to be engaged in unnatural offences by the police.
Top on the list of such crossdressers is Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju, popularly known as Bobrisky.
Reacting to the call, which has flooded his X page in recent times, the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said cross dressers have committed no known offence by their choice of how to appear in public.
Adejobi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, who appeared on a Channels Television programme: “Politics Today,” on Tuesday said except the cross dressers commit any unnatural offence, they can’t be arrested.
He equally said that like rape, any report of the commitment of an unnatural offence must be proven before it can be charged to court so that the case is not thrown out.
He said: “There are some cases that are very difficult to handle.
“I am not ruling out the fact that we have many of them.
“If for instance you want to prove a case of rape, you have five points to prove.
“If any one of those points is missing, you lose your case in court.
“Let us be reasonable.
“You can’t arrest somebody you want to prosecute without having credible evidence against such a person.
“Cross dressing is not a crime yet in Nigeria.
“I doubt it because I have not read anywhere that it is an offence per se.
“Those of them that are into cross dressing, the allegation is that they are into something else, unnatural offences.
“That is where the problem lies.
“We need to actually have enough proof, credible evidence, prove that they are actually into that.
“That all those are unnatural offences in Nigeria and they are punishable under our law….
“If you are into something else that is criminal, unnatural offences.
“Many people have been saying that.
“But let’s have enough evidence to nail any individual that is into it.
“The law will take its course.”
