Court did not nullify Ikoyi Registry Weddings

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, on December 8, did not grant an order nullifying all weddings conducted by the Ikoyi marriage registry.

You would recall that the Eti Osa LGA of Lagos state had in a suit with number FHC/LS/CS/816/18 against the ministry of interior and attorney-general of the federation had challenged the power of the ministry to operate marriage registries, conduct weddings and issue marriage certificates.

In the ruling, Justice D.E. Osiagor, held that the LG councils are statutorily responsible for issuing marriage certificates in Nigeria.

While delivering the judgment, the court restrained the ministry of interior from “further contracting marriages within the plaintiff’s local government council areas except marriages conducted in the marriage registries of Ikoyi, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja”.

The Eti Osa LGA had in the suit requested “an order of the honourable court directing the 1st defendant to transmit or return all marriage certificates issued within the respective Plaintiff’s Local Government Councils” dating back to a judgment delivered in 2004.

They also sought an order “directing the 1st defendant to return all the fees/money paid by couples” since the judgment granted in 2004.

The court, however, refused to grant the two reliefs which sought to annul the weddings conducted by the Ikoyi registry dating back to 2004.