Ekiti State Judiciary has initiated the integration of its High Court into the Nigerian Case Management System (NCMS), a nationwide digital platform aimed at modernising court operations, enhancing transparency, and reducing case delays. This follows a stakeholders’ roundtable in Ado-Ekiti focused on onboarding the state’s High Court onto the NCMS’s e-filing and legal mail applications.
Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Hon. Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, confirmed significant preparatory steps have been completed, including compliance with technical standards set by the Judicial Information Technology Policy Committee (JITPO). These include establishing a local data centre, installing networks, procuring computer systems, and training judges and court staff, with additional ICT personnel undergoing advanced instruction at the National Judicial Council (NJC) in Abuja.
Justice Ogunmoye explained that the NCMS will streamline processes through electronic case tracking, document management, automated alerts, and analytical reporting, which is expected to curb delays and corruption while boosting judicial performance. He added that court rules are being amended to accommodate electronic filing, and complementary services like e-affidavit and e-probate platforms are being introduced in partnership with private sector providers.
The Chief Judge stressed that successful implementation depends on collaboration among all stakeholders—including judges, lawyers, the bar association, and state revenue services—through comprehensive training and sensitisation. “The digitalisation of judicial processes is no longer a luxury but a necessity,” he stated, urging widespread buy-in to position Ekiti as a model for judicial technology adoption.
Supporting this view, Hon. Justice Kashim Zanna, Chief Judge of Borno State and Chairman of JITPO, acknowledged the initial discomfort of shifting from a paper-based system but emphasised its necessity for efficiency and public confidence. He advised legal practitioners to upgrade their technological skills and tools, noting that Nigerian society now expects faster, digital services across sectors. “This is the future. There is no going back,” Justice Zanna said.
Ekiti State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dayo Apata (SAN), described the NCMS as a critical national reform aligned with the NJC’s mandate to standardise and strengthen justice administration. He highlighted that the platform will manage cases electronically from filing to disposal, reduce manual processes, and improve access to reliable judicial data. Apata reaffirmed the state’s commitment to the initiative, framing it as part of broader efforts to ensure efficient, transparent, and accountable court operations across Nigeria.
The rollout in Ekiti represents a step in the nationwide adoption of the NCMS, a system designed to address persistent challenges in case backlog, record-keeping, and data accessibility within Nigeria’s justice sector.
