Foreign Judgments (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act

Arrangement of Sections

1. Short title.

2. Interpretation.

Part 1: Registration of Foreign Judgments

3. Power to extend Part I of Act to countries giving reciprocal treatment

4. Registration and application of judgments for enforcement in foreign countries.

5. Rules of court.

6. Cases in which registered judgments must or may be set aside.

7. Power of registering court on application to set aside registration.

8. Foreign judgments which can be registered not to be enforceable otherwise.

9. Application of Part I of Act to Her Majesty's dominions other than Nigeria

10. Provisions respecting certain existing judgments.

Part II: Miscellaneous

11. General effect of certain foreign judgments.

12. Power to make foreign judgments unenforceable in Nigeria if no reciprocity.

13. Issue of certificates of judgments obtained in Nigeria.

Foreign Judgments (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act

An Act to make provision for the enforcement of judgments in Nigeria given in foreign countries, which accord reciprocal treatment to judgments given in Nigeria. It is for facilitating the enforcement in foreign countries of judgments given in Nigeria, and for other purposes in connection with the matters aforementioned.

1. This Act may be cited as the Foreign Judgments (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act.

2. (1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires

"Appeal" includes any proceeding by way of discharging or setting aside a judgment or an application for a new trial or a stay of execution;

"Country of the original court" means the country in which the original court is situated;

"Judgment" means a judgment or order given or made by a court in any civil proceedings and shall include an award in proceedings on an arbitration if the award has in pursuance of the law in force in the place where it was made become enforceable in the same manner as a judgment given by a court in that place, or a judgment or order given or made by a court in any criminal proceedings for the payment of a sum of money in respect of compensation or damages to an injured party;

"Judgment creditor" means the person in whose favour the judgment was given, and includes any person in whom the rights under the judgment have become vested by succession or assignment or otherwise;