Marriages conducted by Ikoyi Registry, others are valid — FG

All marriages conducted by the Ikoyi marriage registry and other federal government registries in the country are legal and valid, the Federal Ministry of Interior has said.

The ministry said this in a statement on Tuesday, December 14, while reacting to viral reports that a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has nullified all weddings conducted by the Ikoyi marriage registry.

According to the ministry’s Permanent Secretary/Principal Registrar of Marriages, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, there were existing court judgments empowering the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Interior to conduct marriages, by virtue of Legal Notices issued pursuant to the Marriage Act.

“It is further worthy of note that the issue of formation, annulment and other matrimonial causes are by virtue of Item 61 of the 1st Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria exclusively reserved for the Federal Government.

The General Public is invited to note that these judgments are all still subsisting, competent, and have not been appealed against till date,” he said.