The Lagos State Government has warned husbands against forcing their wives to have sexual intercourse without their consent, saying offenders could face life imprisonment if convicted.
The Director of Public Prosecutions at the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Haroun Adebayo, gave the warning during a media parley organised by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) to mark its September 2026 Awareness Month.
The event was held in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
Responding to questions on whether a married woman could sue her husband for rape for having sex with her without her consent, Adebayo explained that under Lagos State law, the offence is not classified as rape when committed within marriage.
He, however, said forced sexual intercourse could amount to sexual assault by penetration, an offence punishable by life imprisonment under the state’s criminal law.
According to him, when a couple has a disagreement and the wife refuses to have sex with her husband, the husband has no right to force her.
“If the husband forces her and the wife reports him, we will not charge him for rape but for sexual assault by penetration, and the punishment is life imprisonment,” Adebayo said.
He also warned men who believe that paying their wives’ dowry gives them unrestricted rights over their spouses, urging victims of domestic and sexual violence to report such cases to the DSVA.
Adebayo stressed that marriage does not give a husband the right to subject his wife to sexual or domestic violence.
