By Adenike Ayodele

A group, Open Society Justice Reform Project (OSJRP), has called on judiciary stakeholders to recognise the critical role of data protection in justice administration.

The group’s Executive Director, Mr Sam Akpologun, made the appeal while addressing newsmen in commemoration of Data Backup Day on Thursday in Ikeja.

According to Akpologun, data backup is more than a mere Information Technology (IT) requirement; it is an essential component of judicial integrity.

He stated that poor and unreliable data backup systems had contributed to case file losses and delayed trials in courts.

OSJRP director said that protecting legal data meant protecting human rights, due process, and access to justice.

He identified the biggest challenge to effective justice delivery as the poor state of digital infrastructure and data management within the judiciary.

“Poor or unreliable data backup systems has contributed to case file losses, delay in trials and lack of transparency in judicial processes.

“Without proper data protection measures, sensitive legal documents remain susceptible to corruption, tampering, and intentional or accidental destruction,”Akpologun said.

He gave an instance of the arson that occurred during the #EndSARS protest, when the oldest judicial building in Nigeria, Igbosere Court, was razed, resulting in the destruction and loss of sensitive files and data.

According to Akpologun, the recovery of data was largely attributed to the partial digitisation of records through the Digital Information Litigation (DIL) system, which commenced in 2013.

He added that data backup played a critical role in justice administration.

“A robust data protection framework in the justice sector will prevent the loss of critical legal records due to human error, cyber attacks, or infrastructural failures.

“It will also improve efficiency by enabling quick retrieval of case files, reducing case backlogs, enhancing transparency and accountability by ensuring that court records are tamper-proof and easily auditable.

“Although the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 has been passed, the implementation of strong data protection policies in the judiciary remains weak,” he said.

The group noted that courts still operated largely with paper-based systems, as electronic case management was still in its infancy.

According to OSJRP, the slow adoption of automated court systems and secure data backup protocols has made judicial processes more cumbersome and prone to manipulation.

Akpologun said achieving sustainable access to justice required modernising judicial infrastructure.

He said, “To bridge the data protection gap, we advocate for the full implementation of digital case management systems across all levels of the judiciary.

“We recommend regular data backups of judicial records to prevent losses that could delay justice delivery.

“We also advocate for the adoption of cloud-based and secure offline storage solutions for legal documents.

“We recommend stronger enforcement of Nigeria’s Data Protection Act within the justice sector, capacity-building programmes for judicial officers on data protection best practices.

“We urge judicial stakeholders, government agencies, and civil society to recognise the critical role of data protection in justice administration.” (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Chinyere Omeire