Each country has its own set of laws and age restrictions for all the citizens. Who is a minor in Nigerian law? How old is this person? Is it she or he? Let us talk about ‘minor’ term and explain the important information regarding it, based on the laws of the country.
How old is a minor?
In most countries, a minor is a person who is under legal age meaning an infant or citizen who is limited in the right to perform some acts until reaching the age of legal competence. A person is said to be a minor if he/she is younger than 18 years.
The term 'minor' came from the Civil Law. It is used in legal documents and laws to describe people who haven’t reached a certain age and thus have no legal capacity (or it is restricted).
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Who is a minor in Nigerian law?
All females and males who are under 18 years old belong to this group. The age of maturity comes only when a person (he or she) turns 18 years old.
Minor can be also replaced with the ‘child’ term. Nigeria adopted the Child Rights Act 15 years ago, back in 2003. According to the document, a child is just like a minor. It is a person who is under 18 years old.
Now you know who a minor is and how old this person (she or he) is in Nigerian law. This term can sometimes mean the same as ‘underage person,’ however, sometimes the two terms mean different things. A minor is not always an underage citizen.
Nigeria has different age restrictions for minors in terms of marriage, purchasing alcoholic beverage drinks, and driving a car. A minor who is under 18 years old can still be prohibited from purchasing liquor and doing some other tasks even after turning 18.
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Source: Naija.ng
ROSY CREST
Thursday, 25 January 2018