‘Forced Sex Law Will Not Work in Nigeria’ — Iyapupaarewa Reacts to Lagos Warning
The social commentator questions whether women can safely report sexual abuse by their husbands, while urging the Lagos Government to strengthen shelter systems for vulnerable residents.
A social-media commentator identified as Iyapupaarewa has criticised the Lagos State Government’s recent warning on non-consensual sex within marriage, questioning whether married women who report their husbands for sexual violence would be adequately protected from family pressure and retaliation.
The reaction followed a statement by the Lagos State Government warning husbands against forcing their wives into sexual relations without consent.
Speaking during a briefing to mark the 2026 Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month, the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Dr Babajide Martins, said marriage does not give a husband an unrestricted right to force his wife to have sex.
Martins explained that while Nigerian law does not classify forced sexual intercourse between spouses as marital rape, Lagos State law provides another possible route for prosecution.
According to the DPP, where a wife has refused sexual relations and her husband uses force to have intercourse with her, the husband could be prosecuted for sexual assault by penetration, an offence which carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment under Lagos State law.
The government also urged women experiencing domestic or sexual violence to report cases to the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA).
It was the government’s position on the issue that prompted the reaction attributed to Iyapupaarewa, who questioned whether the legal protection would work effectively in the realities faced by women in Nigerian families.
In the statement attributed to the social-media user, she argued that a woman could face serious family and social consequences after reporting her husband, particularly if she continued living in the same matrimonial home.
She also questioned whether relatives might retaliate against a woman who reported her husband and remained in the marriage.
Beyond the debate over sexual violence, Iyapupaarewa redirected her criticism toward what she described as other urgent social problems facing Lagos residents.
She called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to focus more attention on homelessness and the welfare of vulnerable children and adults, arguing that the state should strengthen shelter and support systems for people without homes.
The comments have added a social-policy dimension to an issue that has already generated significant public discussion since the Lagos Government’s announcement.
The legal clarification from the DPP is particularly important because the phrase “marital rape” can create confusion about what the law actually provides.
The Lagos Government did not announce a new law making marital rape a separate offence. Rather, the DPP explained how existing Lagos criminal-law provisions could be applied where a husband forces sexual intercourse on a wife after she has refused.
He specifically stated that such a case would not be charged as rape under the legal framework he described, but as sexual assault by penetration, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The government has also established channels through which residents can report domestic and sexual violence. The Lagos State Citizens Gate platform lists social abuse, including sexual and domestic abuse, among matters residents can report to government authorities. The platform says emergency cases can be reported through 112 or 767, while non-emergency complaints can also be submitted through the state’s reporting system.
The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency has similarly been involved in public awareness campaigns and interventions concerning sexual and domestic abuse. The state government has previously publicised reporting channels for such cases, including its DSVA services.
The controversy therefore centres on two separate questions: what the law permits and whether women who rely on those protections can realistically access justice and remain safe from family or community retaliation.
The first question has received a clear answer from the Lagos DPP: a husband does not acquire an unlimited right to sexual relations simply because he is married to a woman, and forced intercourse after refusal may result in prosecution under Lagos State law.
The second question — whether victims will feel safe enough to report abuse and whether adequate protection and support are available after a report — remains a broader social and institutional challenge.
Iyapupaarewa’s comments reflect that concern, while her separate appeal for more shelters highlights another issue facing Lagos: how the state supports people who are homeless or otherwise vulnerable.
The Lagos Government has previously undertaken programmes involving vulnerable children. In 2022, Governor Sanwo-Olu hosted 120 rescued street children at the State House and said the government was committed to their rehabilitation and reintegration.
However, the latest debate is not simply about whether government has programmes for vulnerable people. It is about whether those programmes are sufficiently accessible to residents who need protection and support.
As the debate continues, the central message from the Lagos Government remains that marriage does not eliminate the importance of consent, while the reaction from critics raises questions about enforcement, family pressure, survivor protection and the availability of social support.
Fact-check verdict: The Lagos Government’s warning is verified. The DPP did say forced sex by a husband after his wife’s refusal could lead to prosecution for sexual assault by penetration, with a maximum life sentence under Lagos law. However, it is inaccurate to describe this as Lagos introducing a new “marital rape law.” The quotation attributed to Iyapupaarewa could not be independently confirmed through a reliable news report and is therefore best presented as a social-media reaction, not an independently verified statement.
