Private legal practitioner, Topra Nyansakuku is cautioning men against presenting a Bible and a ring to their spouses during customary marriage ceremonies, describing the act as legally risky and potentially criminal.

According to him, the presentation of these items—commonly mistaken as part of an “engagement”—symbolises an intention to convert the customary marriage into an Ordinance Marriage, which legally permits only one wife.

As a result, he warned that men who unknowingly engage in this practice could expose themselves to charges of bigamy, a criminal offence punishable by up to three years' imprisonment.

Speaking on the Ghana Yensom morning show hosted by Chief Jerry Justice on Accra 100.5 FM on Monday, December 1, 2025, Mr. Nyansakuku said a jealous spouse who feels threatened by the possibility of her husband taking another wife could trigger legal action, compelling the man to regularise the marriage under the Ordinance—thereby restricting him to a single spouse.

He explained that while Customary and Islamic marriages allow a man to marry multiple wives, an Ordinance Marriage does not.

Therefore, any act that signals an intention to shift from one system to the other, such as presenting a Bible and a ring during a customary ceremony, could have serious legal implications.

The lawyer also expressed concern over the growing trend of couples conducting what they call a “morning engagement,” followed by a ceremony at an event centre later in the day, which they describe as a wedding.

He stressed that Ghana’s marriage laws do not recognise any ceremony called an “engagement,” adding that many of these practices fall outside the legally accepted framework.

Mr. Nyansakuku shared these insights while discussing the widely publicised case involving the two wives of highlife legend Daddy Lumba, which has reignited public debate about marriage types and legal compliance in Ghana.