As a result of an on-going debate: https://www.nairaland.com/1186556/man-insists-seeing-suitors-office
What are your genuine reasons for background checks before marriage.

True life story: A couple got married (court/white wedding) overseas only to get back to Nigeria (for a visit/their traditional marriage) to discover that they (couple) were blood relatives (their tradition/culture forbids blood relatives from getting married to each other). The lady was already pregnant and/or already had a child from the marriage. I really do not know what happened afterwards. It was a background check that revealed that they were blood relatives.

I am not surprised.
We shall soon require HOME DNA tests and STD-test kits to be safe in Nigeria and all over the world.
A lot of fertility clinics even STEAL couples frozen embryos to sell to 'fruitless' couples!
DOWN THE LINE. . . YOU WONDER WHY ALL YOUR SSSHIDREN GAT 14 fingers and 16 toes!

Genuine reason

5 or 6 years ago I heard a true life story of a lady who was going to get married to a certain fellow, she worked with the SSS at the time and her office insisted on doing background checks on this guy. I hear it's a standard procedure with the SSS to have employee's potential spouses investigated (I've only heard ooo, I stand to be corrected)

Well this fellow was investigated and it turned out he already had a wife with 3 children, who resided in an interior part of his home state. He was also a fraudulent fellow who had duped a lot of folks and was wanted by most of them. I'm sure you can guess what happened next.....of course you can , the wedding never took place.

My Thinking

Now that story really made a mark on me and I decided there & then, that I would also have a potential spouse investigated by the SSS or CID if I ever decide to get married. I don't need to engage the entire bureau to do that I can find one or two resourceful staff of these institutions who are willing to make money on the side and pay them out of my pocket to get the job done.

Besides there are far too many homosexual men masquerading as straight guys who want to get married and cover their tracks, I say an investigation is necessary. I don't know how a man's s e x u a l preference can be uncovered while running background checks on him but I'm sure something of that nature would surface in the course of investigation from a secondary school classmate or a scorned ex lover etc

Constant viewing of the crime investigation & investigation discovery channels on dstv only reinforces my stance on investigating a suitor before marriage. Who On Earth Did I Marry is an all time favourite I do not miss on investigation discovery.

Evil can be up close and personal, you really do not want that evil to be your spouse.

You are right about SSS doing background checks on your spouse before you marry.