Supreme Court asks lawyers to upload appeal documents under new electronic filing system

The Supreme Court has directed lawyers with appeals and motions scheduled for hearing between September and December 2026 to upload relevant court processes through the Nigerian Case Management System (NCMS).

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The uploading is a mandatory requirement under the new electronic filing system unveiled on 1 July by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.

The court gave lawyers 30 days before their scheduled hearing dates to complete the uploading of the required documents.

The directive was contained in a statement signed by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Kabir Akanbi.

According to the statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, the requirement is in compliance with Rule 10(1) of the Supreme Court Practice Direction, 2026.

The court directed lawyers to access the list of appeals and motions fixed for hearing through its website.

How to access list of appeals

To access the list of appeals and motions fixed for hearing, lawyers are asked to take the following steps:

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1. Visit the Supreme Court website.

2. Click on Litigation.

3. Select Nigerian Case Management System (NCMS).

4. Click on Download Documents.

5. Check the list of Appeals and Motions scheduled for hearing between September and December 2026.

Thereafter, lawyers are required to upload all relevant filed documents relating to their matters, including the Record of Appeal, Briefs of Argument, pending Motions, and all other filed processes, not later than 30 days before the scheduled hearing date, as stipulated under Rule 10(1) of the Supreme Court Practice Direction, 2026.

The court urged all lawyers “to comply strictly with this requirement to facilitate the seamless operation of the Nigerian Case Management System and ensure the efficient and timely determination of cases.”

Backstory

The new development follows the unveiling of the court’s electronic filing system and a digital case management platform on 1 July.

In his statement in June announcing the planned unveiling, Mr Akanbi, the Supreme Court Chief registrar, described it as a major step towards modernising the administration of justice in the country.

He said the Supreme Court Electronic Filing (E-Filing) System and the Nigeria Case Management System (NCMS) were expected to digitise key aspects of the court’s operations, including the filing and management of cases.

He added that the systems were introduced to improve efficiency, transparency and access to justice while helping the court handle cases more effectively.

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“The E-Filing System and NCMS are designed to enhance efficiency, transparency, accessibility and the timely dispensation of justice by modernising the Court’s case filing and management processes,” he said.

According to him, the initiative formed part of efforts to deploy technology in judicial administration and improve service delivery at the country’s apex court.

The move came amid growing adoption of digital tools across Nigeria’s justice sector as courts seek to reduce delays associated with manual processes and improve case tracking and record management.

Although electronic filing has been introduced in some courts across the country, its deployment at the Supreme Court is expected to streamline procedures at the highest level of Nigeria’s judicial system and reduce reliance on paper-based processes.

Mr Akanbi stated that further details on the implementation of the systems, including the rollout schedule and operational guidelines, would be announced later.