Supreme Court orders E-Filing before September hearings

Etim Ekpimah

The Supreme Court has directed lawyers handling appeals and motions scheduled for hearing between September and December 2026 to upload all relevant case documents through the Nigerian Case Management System (NCMS) at least 30 days before their hearing dates.

The directive forms part of the apex court’s efforts to strengthen its electronic case management system and improve the timely determination of cases.

The instruction was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Kabir Akanbi. According to the statement, the requirement is in line with Rule 10(1) of the Supreme Court Practice Direction, 2026.

The court directed legal practitioners to visit the Supreme Court’s website, access the Litigation section, navigate to the Nigerian Case Management System, and review the list of appeals and motions scheduled for hearing between September and December before uploading the required documents.

It stated that counsel must upload all relevant filed processes, including the Record of Appeal, Briefs of Argument, pending motions and every other document relating to their cases, no later than 30 days before the scheduled hearing date.

“Thereafter, counsel 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 thirty (30) days before the scheduled hearing date, as stipulated under Rule 10(1) of the Supreme Court Practice Direction, 2026,” the statement read.

The apex court said the directive applies to all appeals and motions fixed for hearing between September and December 2026 and urged legal practitioners to comply fully with the new filing procedure.

Akanbi said strict compliance would facilitate the smooth operation of the Nigerian Case Management System and improve the efficiency of the court’s case management process. “The court urges all counsel 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,” he said.