It is not a crime in Nigeria to have sex in a car in a public place, the Nigerian police have said.

Abayomi Shogunle, head of Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit of the Nigerian police, said on Tuesday on Twitter, using his personal Twitter handle @YomiShogunle.

Mr Shogunle, an assistant commissioner of police, was responding to a Twitter user who asked him if such an act was a crime.

Mr Shogunle said persons involved in the act must, however, be 18 years old or above, of opposite sex, and must be consensual.

Also, the location for such act must not be a place of worship, he added.

“If threatened with an arrest over above, please contact @PoliceNG_PCRRU,” he tweeted.

The tweet instantly went viral, with more than a thousand retweets and likes as at Tuesday evening. It attracted more than 100 comments ranging from the serious to the hilarious.

“Once police see a man and woman inside a car parked and discussing without even having sex they assume you are kissing and doing it already and if you no get money to bail nah straight to station,” said one Twitter user by name Magnificent Teeboya (@MTeeboya).

“ACP Shogunle, are the DPOs of the various divisions aware of this?” Constance Justice (@ConstanceJust19) asked Mr Shogunle.

“I totally agree with Abayomi. But I expect him to end his tweet by saying, even though as a Nigerian, our culture does not encourage such public act, just like the bill for same-sex marriage, which was ruled out by the NASS owing to our cultural phenomenon and diversity” said Yemi Olajide ‏(@YemiAbajingin).

“Yes no law prohibiting. However, same can be charged for offences against morality. Section 231 of the Criminal Code talks about indecent acts. It’s now left for court to determine if ‘Sex in a car’ constitutes ‘indecent act in public place’. Bearing in mind ‘a Car’ is private property,” said Dolapo Ibukun ‏ (@Ibukun_olu).

“@YomiShogunle you just gave the public right to have sex any how especially in broad daylight,” said Erusiafe Jokpa (@ErusiafeJokpa).

“Mr Yomi will know about sex, but when it comes to police duties and how they trample on civil rights, he wouldn’t know anything,” a Twitter user, StrangeLove (@wonderluzt1), tweeted.

Mr Shogunle’s tweet is likely to generate some controversies in the coming days.