Oyo State government in partnership with Cinfores Courts Management Information System (CoMiS) has commenced digitisation of its courts filling system starting from the magistrate court.
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The e-filing was formally inaugurated last week at the state high court premises with a presentation on modalities for operation displayed to judges, magistrates, and representatives of lawyers.
 
The Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Munta Ladipo Abimbola, said that it was time legal practitioners embrace the ongoing digitalisation of the court.
The chief judge said that the development was in line with global best practices, as it was designed to make the work of judicial workers faster, and easier to ensure efficient justice delivery.
 
Abimbola noted that e-filing is one of the aspects of digitalising the magistrate court, with lawyers no longer needing to appear physically at the court registry to file processes.
 
“All they need to do is go online from the comfort of their office or home for any judicial issue to deal with.
 
“It will cut the time used in filing processes for cases and subsequently, reduce the time used on individual cases. We have started the e-affidavit, so we already have a process; the materials needed for it to work are already in place,” he said.

To make the new technology accessible for lawyers and legal representatives, he assured that training and workshops would be organised for lawyers and other stakeholders, including those who are ICT compliant to facilitate the use of the e-filling.
   
Speaking during the presentation, Chief Marketing Officer of Cinfores CoMiS, Ayodele Afeniforo, said that the e-filing would make the work of lawyers very easy and efficient.
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“We have been able to use the Court Information Management System to create a platform where people can log in to carry out their filing activities.
   
“It makes the court easily accessible to everyone as people can sit in their homes and access the court registry to do their business; log in with ease, file procedure, and even do affidavits and will through e-probate.
 
“It is easier to use and there is a guideline on the portal to put users through the process. This is an innovation that will help in quickening justice delivery. It aids efficiency, and productivity and generates more income for the people involved.”
   
Reflecting on the likely challenges, Afeniforo acknowledged that insecurity of data cannot be ruled out, but reassured that as an organization, Cinfores has built a firewall for the judiciary system to prevent information theft.
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