The Lagos State Government has issued a stern warning to married men, stating that forcing a spouse into sexual intercourse carries a penalty of life imprisonment upon conviction.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Haroun Adebayo, disclosed this during a media briefing in Alausa, Ikeja. The event, hosted by the Executive Secretary of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, marked the commencement of the agency’s Awareness Month for September 2026.

Addressing legal distinctions regarding marital intimacy, Adebayo clarified that while Lagos State law does not technically categorise non-consensual marital sex as "rape" if the couple is cohabiting on good terms, it is strictly prosecuted under other severe criminal charges.

"Once there is an issue between a couple and the wife refuses to have sex, the husband cannot force her," Adebayo explained. "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."

He further debunked the misconception that traditional rites exempt men from accountability, asserting that paying a bride price or dowry does not grant immunity for domestic or sexual violence. Aggrieved women retain the full legal right to report such violations to the DSVA for immediate prosecution.