02/10/2026
This week on , our weekly series putting legal misconceptions on trial, we're examining a common belief about relationships.
You may have heard that common-law marriage exists in Nigeria, and living together long enough eventually counts as marriage. However, that's not true.
Nigeria does not recognise common-law marriage from cohabitation alone. Living together, even for years, doesn't automatically confer spousal legal rights. Only a statutory, customary, or Islamic marriage does.
Got a legal myth you've always wondered about? Drop it in the comments, and we just might put it on trial next 😉