In his quest to speed up justice delivery in the state, the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba, has directed that lawyers and litigants can swear an oath through electronic means when filing their suits by electronic filing processes.
This directive is contained in a notice signed by the Chief Registrar of the Court, Tajudeen Elias, and released to the public.
The notice also highlighted the mandatory requirements needed by deponents, legal counsel, litigants and citizens that would be participating in the e-swearing.
The notice states that it is highly required that all participants connected to the video conferencing session (Zoom/Skype) using a laptop or tablet but if none of these is available, but a phone is an available option, the following requirements must still be met, though the session quality might be decreased.
The notice reads: “All deposition documents must be sent to specified locations via email or as advised by the Commissioner for Oaths referencing the suit number before the Zoom/Skype appointment.”
“All participants must get a quiet place with a solid background, no noise and distractions.”
“A good and stable internet connection—WiFi or mobile data is also an indispensable requirement.”
“Participants must have electronic copies of the deposition documents on their laptop, tablet or mobile phone and must have reliable access to the email used to request the e-swearing appointment.”
The notice also stated that all participants might need to send and receive documents via instant file transfer/email during the Zoom/Skype session.
