How To Get A Divorce In Nigeria - What You Should Know

Filling a petition a divorce/happenings.com.ng

How to get a divorce in Nigeria. What did the topic say? You heard it CLEARLY and the reasons are not far-fetched because in as much as there are many happy couples out there, greater numbers of married couples are busy fighting tooth and nail doing all they can to get out of their marriage legally and move on with their life separately instead of enduring abusive risky cohabitants.

  Some marriages has ended deadly with either the man snuffing the life out of the woman or the woman playing the warrior in some badly heated marital union. Some couples had foreseen this to be the likelihood of what theirs would result into and had taken steps to have their stories told alive by resorting to legal means through divorce.

 Sometimes though, many are swindled out of their money on the process of getting divorced from their abusive mates because of being ill-equipped with the necessary procedures.
 
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Wanting to go your separate ways as a married couple in Nigeria? Invest your time on this post and be in the know of all that it takes and save yourself multiple problems of doing the right things wrongly. 

Though divorce is never the best option when couples are no longer at peace with each other, but at the same time when every avenues has been explored with no possible solutions in sight, it could therefore be reasonable to have the couples stay apart from each other for some times to have things restored to normal or terminated if it involves other serious but highly complicated issues that are difficult to be penetrated instead of pushing a truck loaded with irons uphills.

Scene of a fight between husband and wife/naijagist.com

Since marital discord has become so common the world over with most of the aggrieved couples looking for ways out of their marriages, it has therefore become useful to enact laws that would be catering for such cases instead of allowing marriages to be the reasons why some lives are cut short by any of the embittered partners.

Before proceeding with this article on how to get a divorce in Nigeria, please I would love to explain my own stands on this important issue with just few words.

"I am not in support of divorce of any form due to whatever problems the couples may be having in their relations be it infidelity, lack of marital dues, abusive partner or denial of supports. Reason: No problem is without solution at least if one of them is ready to make amends and endure the difficulties. Besides, nothing lasts forever and that includes marital challenges & difficulties".

 What To Have In Mind Before Proceeding With Divorce

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Based on the in dept researches that I made before coming up with this post, there are some important and down to earth questions that the intending couples need to answer before proceeding with their final decision to go their separate ways.

Divorce certificate/certificateteplate.co

 The court will be interested to have your affirmative answers to the following grounds for divorce as you also do well to prepare for enough hand out to the lawyers handling your case.

*1. Has your marriage gone so bad that nothing could revive it? In a more clearer term, has it broken down irretrievably like a smashed mirror?

*2. Is your partner a habitual drunkard which makes him or her unfit for marital commitments?, what of sodomy, adultery, bestiality, rape, denies you of sex?

*3. Murderer. Aside from expressions of anger at times which usually come from the women side, is the man or the woman known to express clear murderous acts to the innocent mate or their children?

*4. Have you been in your separate ways for over a year before filing your divorce petition. The long time away from each other serves to test your seriousness on whether you are going ahead with your initial plans or not because some do reconcile before this stipulated period.

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*5. Your spouse. Is your partner in agreement with your plans to divorce, and no objections ever since you both made up your minds to divorce?

*6. Separation. Have you stayed apart continually for complete three years without having any contact with each other, and you are both sure that no marital dues such as sex or any other privileges enjoys by married couples has taken place between two of you for the periods elapsed?.

*7. Death is usually the termination of marriage bound except if the widow or the widower decides to continue unmarried as many Nigerian women chose to do because of their children, age or for other reasons.

You can have the above stated reasons confirmed in Matrimonial Causes Act, Chapter 220, section 15 & 16 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990, under Dissolution of marriage.

Additional Things To Have In Mind Before Proceeding With Your Divorce

If after going through the above stated points and you feels that you can just call off the marriage because of how easy those points had made getting a divorce in Nigeria appeared to you, well good, but still permit me to remind you of some additional tips to have in mind before getting yourself freed from that lifetime union that had suddenly turned sour.

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While it's true that the court would do their best to grant your requests of living legally separate and free to do whatever you chooses with your life henceforth, another thing to have in mind is that the court will not be responsible for your upkeep after the dissolution of the marriage.

In view of this therefore, have you calculated and tracked your living expenses at least for six months before every other things starts taking shape so to say? You should as well know that the court would demand the proof of work from you especially if custody of your children is involved if you have any.

Where you are going to live with the children is also another thing to put into consideration as the court will almost not accept any other place apart from the woman's parents residence. Their eyes will also be on the kids to make sure they are not denied their basic rights which either of may have have chosen to be solely responsible for.

Divorced Guatemalam woman/proof.nationalgeographic.com

What if you cannot work and thus couldn't be able to take care of yourself and the kids especially as the woman, any hope for you? well, in this aspect, there is good news for you as a woman but it has to be proved. Why are you not working? Was your husband responsible for this? Then provide the court with enough evidence to back your claims and stand the chances of having your maintenance needs met by your divorced husband. He will be mandated to do that or else face the full wrath of the law.

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As a way of preparing yourself for the rainy days, do you have copies of important documents like properties you own together which you have good claims or interests in? Your children birth certificates and your marriage certificates? How much of a destitute will you not be simply because of leaving your husband or wife? preferably for you to answer.

Are you really sure that the money you are depending on to start your life with after the divorce will not be exhausted pursuing divorce proceedings?

Have you gotten another job that could be able to cater for you pending when things gets back to your expected normalcy? Are you sure that you really want to go for good?

Know this fact before you take your case to any lawyer

 It is never a lawyer's duty to decide for you if you would be needing a divorce or not. Their duties is to make it legal for you to get what you want.

 So never go to court unless your mind is made up. Another important thing to bear in mind is this: while it is true that it is not easy to get divorce in Nigeria, there are certainly times when a person has to make abrupt decision to leave because of safety, and if that be your case your case, then take this advice from a Californian police officer,

 "If you come face to face with  an armed robber 'Fall down to the ground, clothes can be washed afterwards"

 Know what that simply means? Life is more important than any claims and other preparations you have in mind.

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In case you don't know or having heard, getting married and staying married is far much easier, better, and cheaper in Nigeria than all the problems you stand to go through in a bid to divorce your mate.

Marital difficulties/familylawoc.com

  Further to that is also how you got married in the first instance as that on its own matters when the marriage is to be dissolved.

 If you need the services of some reputable lawyers to help you secure a well deserved divorce, ask lawyers around you but  If you want to avoid going through all these headaches, then to be forewarned is to be forearmed.

 Read this post for marital techniques or contact me personally using the contact form by the right hand side of this blog, for alternative options.

Wishing you all a crisis free marriage life. Enjoy your matrimonial blessings.