According to a Facebook post on Sunday, September 6, 2026, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi said women in abusive marriages could seek an end to their marriages under Sharia law.
Gumi said a woman was not required to remain in an abusive marriage. He explained that a couple could end their marriage by mutual agreement without either spouse having to prove fault.
He said a woman could also seek a divorce by offering to return her marriage gift to her husband. According to him, a judge could intervene if the husband refused without reasonable grounds.
Gumi added that a woman could seek an annulment through a court without her husband’s consent if valid grounds existed. He listed abuse, failure to provide financial support, abandonment and serious illness among the grounds for seeking an annulment.
He also said some marriage contracts could contain conditions that allowed women to initiate divorce.
According to Gumi, mediation was encouraged before a marriage was dissolved. He said representatives from both families could be appointed to try to resolve the dispute.
He, however, said women in Nigeria often faced difficulties when seeking legal relief. He cited corruption, case backlogs, delays and limited awareness of women’s rights as some of the challenges.
Gumi said some women who qualified for annulment instead accepted settlements that required them to give up their marriage gifts.
COURTESY: MintyNews
