T he marriage arrangement is in place. The wedding cards are ready for distribution.
Suddenly, the rumours get to you: your partner is an ex-convict. As if the rumour is not shocking enough, when you confront your partner, your worst fear is confirmed. Will you overlook the past and carry on with your marriage plans?

Bridget Amaraegbu as usual has all the answers.
Read on!

If he’s sincere and repentant, why not? — Ijeoma Imoh, Actress
First of all, I’ll need to know the kind of offence the person committed before I make up my mind whether to continue in the relationship or take a walk. You know, marriage is a life time thing and the decision one takes may leave one in misery for the rest of that one’s life.
Take for instance if it was a murder case, I’ll need to know the circumstance that led to his action. It could be that he was trying to defend himself against a dangerous situation that could have taken his life. And if that was the situation, I’d have expected him to have drawn the attention of the police. But the fact that he decided to keep it as a secret means there’s something he didn’t want me to know. For all I care to know, he can be a ritualist or man eater. And I’m sure you will not want me to live with such dangerous person so that I don’t end up being slaughtered and used for pepper soup someday.
We’ve heard several stories of people who killed their fellow human beings for no just cause.
Few days ago, we read about a man who killed his own son over nothing actually. The only complain he had against the little boy was that the boy was stubborn. The big question is, could this have been enough for a father to kill his own son?
Only God knows how many lives this same man would have wasted in the past, if he could do what he did to his own flesh and blood. That is why we need to be careful when issues like this spring up because if this man comes up tomorrow to say he has become a pastor, people will still need to watch him.
Let’s also look at internet fraud. People who engage in this business are just there to benefit from other people’s hard earned resources, and that’s all. It would be easier to forgive a person involved in this kind of business because such person can easily make a u-turn and go into a more legitimate business. .
Crimes have different categories. But the ones I dread most are the ones that have to do with murder, armed robbery and drug peddling. These are some of the crimes that people who are engaged in them find difficult to quit. They may never give up on it.
Those who are into drug peddling find it difficult to retire, and no matter how many times they go to jail, they’re still willing to continue in the business.
I know that some people will begin to look at it from the perception of the average human being not being perfect. This could be true but then what stops such person from revealing his secrets to the woman he intends to spend the rest of his life with. If he actually loves me, he should be prepared to let me into his past. People who intend to spend their lives together should be ready to understand each other very well before getting married. If it is possible, they should discuss all that happened to them in the cause of their growing up.
By Bridget Amaraegbu
Continued on: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/10/02/can-you-marry-an-ex-convict/

I can never marry one simple. I will not marry again.