Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has made an urgent appeal to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and relevant authorities to suspend the planned full digitization of the Lagos Division’s registry, scheduled to commence on June 23, 2025.
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In a strongly worded statement issued on Sunday, Adegboruwa lauded the Federal High Court for its progressive reforms but cautioned against what he described as the “hasty and exclusive implementation” of the e-filing regime. The development, he said, was announced through a press release by the Chief Registrar, which indicated that all filings must be done exclusively through the court’s digital portal from the stated date.
While commending the judiciary’s efforts in managing the Lagos Division—especially given its heavy caseload stemming from legislative changes like the amendment of the Electoral Act—Adegboruwa warned that digitization goes beyond technology and touches on constitutional rights, access to justice, and procedural fairness.
“There is need for caution,” he wrote. “Filing and prosecution of cases go beyond e-filing and processing; they involve the consideration and application of fundamental issues relating to the constitutional rights of the litigants and their lawyers.”
Adegboruwa questioned the decision to implement such a critical change less than a month before the court’s long vacation begins (July 28 to September 16), suggesting instead that the rollout be deferred to the new legal year in September 2025. He further advised that the system should be launched only after the division relocates to its ultra-modern court complex, which would better support digital operations.
The SAN criticized what he called “half measures”, noting that the digitization plan appears to affect only the filing of cases.
“Will litigants file their processes digitally while judges conduct proceedings manually? What about obtaining certified true copies of rulings and judgments? Will cause lists and judge itineraries be accessible online?” he queried.
He also raised concerns about service of court processes, emphasizing that the current rules still mandate personal service. In cases where digital contact information for defendants is unknown, he questioned how the court intends to handle substituted service and ensure fair hearing rights are protected.
Highlighting Nigeria’s inconsistent power supply and unreliable internet connectivity, Adegboruwa pointed out that many lawyers and litigants—especially in underserved regions—may face serious barriers to accessing the digital platform.
He also warned of confidentiality risks, referencing global cybersecurity breaches and stressing that sensitive court documents could be vulnerable to hacking.
“Even in the most sophisticated jurisdictions, hackers have made nonsense of digital platforms and subjected the private lives of persons to public ridicule,” he noted.
Adegboruwa further emphasized that the manual registry of the Court of Appeal remains incompatible with a fully digital filing system at the trial court level. He argued that a fragmented approach across court levels could disrupt appeal processes, including compilation and transmission of records.
In his concluding remarks, Adegboruwa urged the judiciary to delay the e-filing rollout until the court’s relocation is complete and broader consultations are held.
“Let digitization run contemporaneously with manual filing until such a time that all those who patronize the court have become accustomed to the new system—just as the Central Bank of Nigeria allowed both old and new Naira notes to co-exist,” he argued.
He warned that while innovation is welcome, it must not come at the cost of denying justice to ordinary Nigerians, stressing that access to justice should not become a luxury reserved for the digitally connected elite.
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