₦airaland Forum

What most Nigerians don’t know about CHILD CUSTODY until it is too late:

Do you know the court can take your children from you even if you carried them for 9 months… or even if you pay all the school fees?

Under Nigerian law, there are DIFFERENT types of custody orders, and the type the court gives can change your entire life after separation or divorce. This is why many people lose custody without understanding what they agreed to.

Here are the custody types the court may grant:

DIVIDED CUSTODY
The child stays with one parent during school session and the other during holidays. When the child is with you, YOU have full control and decision-making power.

SPLIT CUSTODY
When there are two or more children, one parent gets full custody of some of the children, the other parent gets the remaining ones. Families have been torn apart this way.

JOINT CUSTODY
Both parents must agree TOGETHER on every major decision affecting the child. The court only grants joint custody when both parents can cooperate. If parents keep fighting, joint custody fails.

SOLE CUSTODY
One parent gets full authority and control to the exclusion of the other. This happens if the court believes the other parent is irresponsible, unstable, or unfit.

INTERIM/TEMPORARY CUSTODY
During divorce proceedings, either party may apply for temporary custody pending judgment.

THIRD-PARTY CUSTODY
The court can give custody to someone OUTSIDE the marriage (grandparents, relatives) if both parents are considered unfit or uninterested. It has happened before. See Nwuba v. Nwuba.

Here is the scary part:
Many Nigerians do not know their legal rights until they lose access to their children.

And the court’s main concern is ALWAYS the “best interest of the child,” not culture, gender, entitlement, or emotions.

So before you say “leave my house” or “I’m filing for divorce,” understand how custody works.

QUESTION TO NIGERIANS:
Who do you think deserves custody by default? Mothers or fathers? And should a child ever be taken from both parents entirely?

Let the debate begin.

Naijalegal:
What most Nigerians don’t know about CHILD CUSTODY until it is too late:


QUESTION TO NIGERIANS:
Who do you think deserves custody by default? Mothers or fathers? And should a child ever be taken from both parents entirely

Let the debate begin.

Hmmm...
A particular case study/situation will surely have its uniqueness and what makes it stands out and what makes it different. Hence the nature of the custody to go for,with total and in-depth consideration of the well-being and welfare of the children in concern.

Is the courts blind to the hordes of homeless children wondering the streets? Have they taken these kids in to secure them?

It's only eye service and hypocrisy the courts loves to do, meddling in family matters. Mtcheeeew