The Lagos State Government has warned husbands against forcing their wives into sexual relations, stressing that marriage does not remove the need for consent.

The state’s Director of Public Prosecutions, Haroun Adebayo, issued the warning during a media briefing to mark the 2026 Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month in Lagos.

According to him, while forced sex between spouses is not classified as rape under Nigerian law, a husband who forces himself on his wife after she has refused could face prosecution for sexual assault by penetration under Lagos State law, with the offence carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.