Kiss-a-thon promoters risk three-year prison sentence – Ekiti

The Ekiti State Government announced on Thursday that those who participate in or spread rumors about the kiss-a-thon, a planned kissing marathon that is scheduled to begin in the state on Friday and aims to break the Guinness World Record, run the risk of receiving three years in prison.

Dayo Apata, the state’s attorney general and commissioner for justice, claimed that owners or managers of any venue used to host such an event in the state would suffer the same fate in addition to having it shut down.

The three-day (72-hour) kissing event was organized by a group called Sugartee and was scheduled to take place in Ekiti between July 7 and July 10. According to leaflets distributed throughout the state, the three-day kissing marathon was “an attempt to break the GWR for the longest kissing marathon.”

“Pursuant to the provisions of the law and any other relevant laws applicable in Ekiti State, the proposed programme tagged kiss-a-thon is hereby prohibited throughout the length and breadth of Ekiti State,” said Apata in a prohibition notice of the kiss-a-thon that he signed.

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The planned kiss-a-thon program violates sections 148 and 150 of the Criminal Law (2021), which forbid indecent acts and practices in the state and subject offenders to felony charges and a three-year prison sentence.

“Any person or corporate body that permits himself or herself and facilities to be used in carrying out the proposed program in the state would be prosecuted before an appropriate court,” the statement reads.

The proposed program, according to him, is against Ekiti State law and is considered an indecent act, absurd, unhealthy, and capable of degrading the state’s reputation.

The proposed event, according to the state government, is against the law in Ekiti State, specifically sections 148 and 150 of Criminal Law no 21 of 2021, which forbid indecent acts and practices in Ekiti State. It is also absurd, unhealthy, and capable of damaging the state’s reputation.

“As a result, no person or corporate entity is permitted to initiate and/or carry out the proposed kiss-a-thon in Ekiti State. Any individual or corporate entity that permits themselves, their resources, or their facilities to be used in carrying out or promoting the proposed program in the state of Ekiti will be prosecuted and dealt with legally, according to Apata.