The Federal High Court of Nigeria has said that it will formally terminate the manual filing of case on April 24 in keeping with the spirit of advanced technology in the country as being done in other parts of the world.
Consequently, the court indicated that a pilot electronic filing also known as e-filing platform will become operational in its Lagos Judicial Division with effect from 27th April, 2026.
Acting Chief Registrar of the court, Mr Yahaya Yakubu Shafa who confirmed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja said that all new filings shall henceforth be conducted exclusively through the e-filing platform.
However, all matters instituted at the court prior to the go-live date shall continue to be processed manually until judgment is delivered and such matters are finally disposed of.
To ensure a seamless transition, all legal practitioners are required to obtain their legal mail accounts prior to the go live date, as possession of a legal mail address is a mandatory prerequisite for access to the e-filing platform.
The acting Chief Registrar explained that all documents requiring oath administration must also be processed through the e-affidavit platform but however clarified that the deponent must physically appear before a Commissioner for Oaths for the administration of the oath.
Furthermore, he said that every law firm or Chambers shall be required to upload all relevant registration documents issued by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) when creating their profile on the e-filing platform.
In addition, a two-day interactive training session on the e-filing system shall be held within the week of 20th to 24th April, 2026.
The statement enjoined all legal practitioners to be guided accordingly and to ensure strict compliance.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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