Marriage in Nigeria is a serious business regulated by two main laws; the Marriage act and the Matrimonial causes act. The laws provide almost exhaustively, protections for parties to a marriage. However, like any other law, people will continue to be creative in finding ways around it and such creativity can land one in jail. In some cases, one need not even be a party to the marriage to become liable.
The marriage act provides for the following offences that can lead a party or a third party to jail in the cause of celebration of a marriage. Anthony Atata , a Nigerian lawyer whose practice covers divorce and family Law writes in a plain language for readers of Courtroom Mail who are not lawyers.Eight of the most common offences are as follows:[restrict paid=”true”] Continue reading Eight ways you may go to jail in Nigeria because of marriage →
Section 30 of the Matrimonial Causes Act provides as a general rule that proceedings for a decree of dissolution of marriage shall not be instituted within two years after the date of the marriage except by leave of the court. Continue reading The Two year rule in Matrimonial Proceedings: Refreshing your memory on the exceptions-Anthony Atata →
For a court in Nigeria to grant divorce to a party to matrimonial proceeding, it must be on the ground that the marriage has broken down irretrievably.Anthony Atata writes for Courtroom Mail(This is written in plain language for the benefit of ALL readers of courtroom mail)
For the Petitioner (the person who filed for divorce) to satisfy that the marriage has broken down irretrievably, he or she must prove one or more of the following:[restrict paid=”true”] Continue reading If you want a divorce from a Nigerian Court,you must prove any of these →
As a divorce lawyer in Nigeria,I am always confronted with the question, “How do I get divorce papers?” or “I want to give my husband/wife divorce papers to sign” Each time I hear that, I smile because I know we watch a lot of foreign movies in Nigeria. The truth is that there is nothing like divorce papers within the context of what most clients have in mind which is usually a procedure where you just send your spouse a paper and he or she signs zap!You are divorced.
In Nigeria, divorce called dissolution of marriage in our laws goes through a process. Continue reading What you should know about divorcing your spouse in a Nigerian Court. →
Everything has a legal perspective