The Lagos State Government has warned husbands against forcing their wives to have sexual intercourse without their consent, stressing that such conduct constitutes a serious criminal offence under state law.

Director of Public Prosecutions at the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Haroun Adebayo, gave the warning during a media parley organised by the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, to mark the commencement of the agency’s September 2026 Awareness Month.

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Adebayo explained that although forced sexual intercourse between spouses is not classified as rape under the applicable Lagos State criminal law when the parties are married, a husband who forces his wife to have sex against her will may be prosecuted for sexual assault by penetration, among other offences.

Responding to questions on whether a married woman can report her husband for having sexual intercourse with her without consent, Adebayo said the law does not give husbands the right to force their wives into sexual activity.

He said where a couple has a disagreement and the wife refuses sexual intercourse, the husband cannot use force to have sex with her. If he does so and the matter is reported, prosecutors can pursue charges under the relevant provisions of Lagos State law.

“Any man who thinks that because he paid his wife’s dowry, nobody can challenge him over domestic violence should report such a man to the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency,” Adebayo said.

He added: “Under Lagos State Criminal Law, a man cannot be accused of raping his wife if they are together and are in good terms. However, once there is an issue 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 him, we will not charge him for rape but for sexual assault by penetration, and the punishment is life imprisonment.”

The clarification comes amid continuing efforts by the Lagos State Government and the DSVA to raise public awareness about domestic and sexual violence, including the rights of victims and the legal consequences for perpetrators.

Adebayo urged members of the public to report cases of domestic and sexual violence rather than treating them as private family matters, stressing that marriage does not remove a person’s right to bodily autonomy and protection from violence.