Condonation according to Black’s Law Dictionary at page 315 is defined as: “1. A victim’s express or implied forgiveness of an offence, especially by treating the offender as if there had been no offence. 2. Condonation is not usually a valid defence to crime. 3. One’s spouse’s express or implied forgiveness of a marital offence by resuming marital life and sexual intimacy.” Also, Itse Sagay in his textbook – Nigerian Family Law at page 393 defined legal condonation as: “In law, there is condonation when one spouse, with full knowledge of the matrimonial wrong committed by the other spouse, re-instates the offending spouse to his or her earlier marital position, with the intention of forgiving or remitting the wrong on the condition that the spouse whose wrong is so condoned does not thenceforth commit any further matrimonial offence. Condonation has two essential ingredients: 1. Forgiveness by the wronged spouse, and 2. Reinstatement of the offending spouse to his former position.”
— Ogunwumiju JCA. Patrick Eboiegbodin v. FRN (CA/B/329CF/2011, 9 April 2014)