Laws
of the Federation of Nigeria of 1990
Marriage Act -- Chapter 218 (http://www.nigeria-law.org/Marriage%20Act.htm)
Offences
and Penalties
40. Making false declarations etc. for
marriage
44.
Personation in marriage.
45. Fictitious marriage.
46. Contracting marriage under this Act when already married by native law.
47. Contracting marriage by native law when already married by this Act.
40. Whoever in any affidavit, declaration, certificate, licence,
document, or statement by law to be made or issued for the purposes of a marriage, declares, enters, certifies or marriage,
states any material matter which is false, shall, if he does so without having taken reasonable means to ascertain the truth
or falsity of such matter, be liable to imprisonment for one year, or shall, if he does so knowing that such matter is false,
be liable to imprisonment for five years.
44.
Whoever personates any other person in marriage, or marries under a false name or description, with intent to deceive the
other party to the marriage, shall be liable to imprisonment for five years.
45. Whoever goes through the ceremony of marriage, or any ceremony which he or she represents to be a ceremony of marriage,
knowing that the marriage is void on any ground, and that the other person believes it to be valid, shall be liable to imprisonment
for five years.
46. Whoever contracts a marriage
under the provisions of this Act, or any modification or re-enactment thereof, being at the time married in accordance with
customary law to any person other than the person with whom such marriage is contracted, shall be liable to imprisonment for
five years.
47.
Whoever, having contracted marriage under this Act, or any modification or re-enactment thereof, or under any enactment repealed
by this Act, during the continuance of such marriage contracts a marriage in accordance with customary law, shall be liable
to imprisonment for five years.
Foreign
Marriages -- Validity of foreign marriages
49.
Subject to sections 50 to 53, a marriage between parties one of whom is a citizen of Nigeria, if it is contracted in a country
outside Nigeria before a marriage officer in his office, shall be as valid in law as if it had been contracted in Nigeria
before a registrar in the registrar's office.
