NIGERIA Trends and Developments Contributed by: Ituah Imhanze, Daze Nga, Damilola Raji and Ozioma Soludo, KENNA
Case automation Automation is gradually reshaping the day-to-day mechanics of litigation. Several state judiciaries now operate e-filing portals, most prominently in Lagos, Abuja and Rivers, where processes, particularly affidavits, can be filed, tracked and paid for online. There is also a possibility that court diary systems will become increasingly digital, with some registries pilot- ing cause list automation to reduce needless adjourn- ments and manage caseloads more efficiently. Within law firms, practice management platforms such as Clio and LawPavilion Case Manager are already being utilised to automate scheduling, time tracking, record- The most visible application of technology in Nige- rian litigation remains research. Local platforms, such as LawPavilion Primsol and Case Radar, provide AI- assisted access to Nigerian case law, statutes, and secondary sources of law, including law books and articles. Newer entrants, like Primsol GPT, have intro- duced novel features like conversational searches and case summaries. ing and billing. Legal research Similarly, more global platforms such as Lexis+ AI and Westlaw Precision are being explored by larger commercial firms. These platforms allow lawyers to identify authorities more quickly and track the evolu- tion of legal principles. They also allow practitioners to compare local with international jurisprudence. So far, as with drafting and automation, adoption has been cautious. Many practitioners still prefer tradition- al manual research, often due to cost, concerns about reliability, or habit. Nonetheless, as younger lawyers start to practice and awareness of the efficiency of AI platforms spreads, 2026 is expected to mark a tipping point where AI-assisted research becomes a main- stream feature of litigation in Nigeria. Overview This transformation is not without its challenges. The reliability of generative tools remains in question. In the United States, for example, lawyers have already been sanctioned for filing processes that cited made- up cases and authorities created by AI tools. These “hallucination” incidents serve as a warning to mem-
bers of the profession, and the lesson to be learned from them is that while AI can generate persuasive text, it cannot yet guarantee accuracy, especially where legal nuance is critical. Nigerians in the legal space are aware of these risks, and it can be assumed that it is only a matter of time before local courts con- front similar controversies. Ethical considerations also loom large. Should coun- sel disclose when a filing has been prepared with the assistance of AI? How should client confidentiality be protected when sensitive data is uploaded into third- party systems? And what level of oversight is required to meet a lawyer’s professional duty of diligence? These questions go to the heart of the trustworthi- ness of litigation as a process. Nigeria has not yet enacted legislation specific to AI. However, the Nigerian Bar Association took an early step in 2024 by issuing Guidelines for the Use of Arti- ficial Intelligence in the Legal Profession, emphasis- ing that technology should only support, and never replace, professional judgment. The Guidelines emphasise the ongoing obligations of confidentiality, accuracy and transparency in legal practice and are likely to be influential as courts consider the propriety of AI-assisted filings. At the national level, the federal government has also begun work on a National Artifi- cial Intelligence Strategy, which may provide a broad- er regulatory framework. However, its implementation remains in the early stages. Comparative developments abroad are also instruc- tive. The EU AI Act, adopted in late 2024, imposes strict obligations on high-risk systems, including the justice system. It emphasises the importance of human oversight and clear lines of accountability. Across the Atlantic in the United States, several bar associations have taken further action, issuing ethics guidance and opinions to remind lawyers that relying on unverified AI output can amount to a breach of professional competence and candour. These global currents will inevitably influence Nige- rian regulators and the judiciary to develop a local framework that reflects international best practices while responding to domestic realities. For now, the challenge for Nigerian litigation is not whether AI will
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