Court says All Marriages Conducted at Ikoyi Registry is illegal, Orders closure of Ikoyi Registry with immediate effect

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, has declared that it was unconstitutional for the federal government to conduct marriages, declaring as illegal and invalid, for example, all solemnisation of unions at the Ikoyi marriage registry, Lagos. The court, presided over by Justice D. E. Osiagor, held that only the local government marriage registries were empowered to do such by the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). He submitted that the conduct of marriages and issuance of certificates were statutorily the job of the local governments as provided by the law. The judge added that the acts of the federal government through the Ministry of Interior,operating marriage registries was beyond their powers and held that all marriages conducted by federal marriage registries or through their agents were illegal and invalid. He consequently ordered the closure of all federal marriage registries opened by the ministry, including that of Ikoyi marriage registry with immediate effect. There has been a legal brawl between some local government areas in Nigeria against the federal government simply for the determination of who has the power to operate marriage registries, conduct marriages and issue marriage certificates. This prompted the Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State to go to court, where itsought an order to take over the popular Ikoyi Marriage Registry being operated by the Ministry of Interior, on the grounds that the federal government, through the ministry, had no business operating a marriage registry.