The Supreme Court of Nigeria has directed all legal practitioners with appeals and motions scheduled for hearing between September and December 2026 to upload their court processes through the Nigerian Case Management System, NCMS.
The directive was contained in a notice issued by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Kabir E. Akanbi.
According to the notice, counsel with pending matters within the affected period are required to comply with Rule 10(1) of the Supreme Court Practice Direction, 2026, by uploading all relevant processes not later than 30 days before the scheduled hearing date.
The court said the directive applies to appeals and motions already fixed for hearing between September and December 2026.
The Supreme Court also explained that counsel can access the list of affected matters by visiting the court’s official website and navigating through the Litigation section to the Nigerian Case Management System. The Supreme Court’s official X handle had earlier described the electronic upload requirement as part of the phased roll-out of the NCMS for matters scheduled from September to December 2026.
To access the list, counsel are required to visit supremecourt.gov.ng, click on Litigation, select Nigerian Case Management System, click on Download Documents, and check the list of appeals and motions scheduled for hearing between September and December 2026.
Thereafter, counsel must upload all relevant filed documents relating to their matters.
The documents to be uploaded include the Record of Appeal, Briefs of Argument, pending Motions and all other filed processes connected to the matters before the court.
The court said the requirement must be strictly complied with to ensure the seamless operation of the NCMS and support the efficient and timely determination of cases.
The notice reads in part: “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 court urged all counsel affected by the directive to act promptly and ensure compliance within the stipulated timeline.
The directive forms part of ongoing efforts to digitise court processes at the apex court and improve case management through electronic filing and document access.
The notice was signed by Kabir E. Akanbi, Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
TNL had earlier reported that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, launched the Nigerian Case Management System, NCMS, as part of efforts to digitise Supreme Court processes, reduce administrative bottlenecks, improve case management and strengthen public confidence in the judiciary. The CJN had also warned lawyers against forged or false uploads, noting that counsel would be required to make declarations confirming the completeness and authenticity of documents uploaded to the system.
