Sometimes, loose reference is made in Nigeria or by Nigerians to "marriage in
court". Certainly our law does not provide any such procedure for the celebration
of marriages. Often, references of this nature are intended to describe, though
inaccurately, marriage in the office of the Registrar of Marriages. Perhaps the
confusion arose from the fact that the former District Officers who were the predecessors
of the present day administrative officers in-charge of Local Government Areas
besides functioning as Marriage Registrars also exercised judicial functions.
The trained mind should, therefore, be on the alert to discover in each case the
nature of the marriage contracted irrespective of the name give to it by the parties.
