COURT DIGITIZATION AND NATIONAL SECURITY; STRENGTHENING JUSTICE DELIVERY TO COMBAT SECURITY THREATS IN NIGERIA
Keywords:
Court Digitization, Technology-Enabled Justice, National Security, Cybersecurity, Access to JusticeAbstract
Nigeria's increasingly complex security environment, characterised by terrorism, insurgency, banditry, cybercrime, organised crime, and other transnational threats, has exposed significant institutional weaknesses within the justice sector. While national security discourse has traditionally focused on military and law enforcement responses, limited attention has been paid to the strategic role of technology-enabled justice in strengthening national security. This article examines how the digital transformation of the judiciary can enhance the administration of justice while contributing to national resilience, institutional legitimacy, and public trust. The study adopts a doctrinal research methodology, relying on the analysis of constitutional provisions, statutes, judicial decisions, policy documents, international standards, and scholarly literature on court digitisation, cybersecurity, access to justice, and national security. The article finds that technology-enabled justice including electronic filing, digital case management, virtual hearings, electronic evidence management, judicial analytics, interoperable justice information systems, and robust cybersecurity frameworks significantly enhances judicial efficiency, transparency, accountability, and institutional resilience. These capabilities accelerate the prosecution of terrorism, cybercrime, organised crime, and financial crimes, improve inter-agency collaboration, expand access to justice in conflict-affected communities, strengthen witness protection, and reinforce public confidence in the rule of law. The article concludes that justice sector digitisation should be recognised not merely as an administrative reform but as a strategic national security imperative. It recommends the adoption of a nationally coordinated digital justice framework, strengthened cybersecurity for judicial information systems, interoperable digital platforms across justice institutions, continuous capacity building for justice sector personnel, and sustained legislative and financial investment in digital justice infrastructure to ensure a resilient, accessible, and secure justice system in Nigeria.
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