WIKE APPROVES CONTRACTS FOR DIGITISATION OF FCT HIGH COURTS

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has approved the award of contracts for the digitisation of the FCT High Courts, with implementation expected to begin immediately.

The General Counsel and Mandate Secretary of the FCT Legal Services Secretariat, Salman Dako, disclosed this on Tuesday after the FCT Executive Council meeting chaired by Wike in Abuja.

Dako said the project would transform the administration of justice in the Federal Capital Territory by replacing the existing manual record-keeping system with digital recording and electronic case-management processes.

According to him, the project will cover 67 courtrooms across the FCT and provide facilities for electronic court recording and case management. The system is expected to reduce reliance on handwritten court notes, physical files and manual procedures that can contribute to delays in the administration of justice.

The digitisation programme will also enable legal practitioners and litigants to embrace electronic filing of cases, making court records more accessible and improving the organisation and tracking of cases.

Dako said the contract has a two-week implementation period, after which progress on the digital transformation is expected to become visible. He described the initiative as an important step towards modernising court administration in the nation’s capital.

The FCT High Court already operates an ICT department and has an existing case-management system, while its Judicial Research Centre maintains digital records of judgments and rulings. The new project is expected to expand these digital capabilities across the High Courts.