The National Judicial Institute (NJI) has called on judicial officers nationwide to consider the unique vulnerabilities of women, children, and marginalized communities when administering justice in the digital age.
This directive was issued by NJI Administrator Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi on Monday in Uyo, during a workshop focused on digital rights.
The workshop, held in Ikot-Ekpeme, Akwa Ibom State, was themed “Upholding Justice in the Digital Age: Strengthening Judicial Capacity on Digital Rights and Cyber Governance.”
The workshop was organized by Paradigm Initiative, a non-governmental organisation committed to digital advocacy, in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission and the NJI, with support from the Netherlands Embassy in Nigeria.
It aims to strengthen the capacities of judges and judicial officers with the knowledge, skills, and tools to effectively handle digital rights cases while upholding human rights within the Nigerian context.
Highlighting the ongoing transformation within the judicial system, Abdullahi emphasized the need for judges and judicial officers to thoughtfully examine how they can administer justice in a way that honors constitutional tenets and effectively addresses the challenges and opportunities of a growing digital society.
According to him, the rapid evolution of digital technologies has introduced a new layer of complexity – one that invariably demands an informed, agile, and forward-looking Judiciary.
He said: “Today, digital platforms have become central to communication, commerce, governance, and personal expression. But alongside their promise, we are confronted with new and pressing risks posed by online harassment, digital surveillance, misinformation, internet shutdowns, cyberbullying, identity theft, and massive data breaches to mention a few.
“These issues raise complex legal questions that are now appearing more frequently in our courts today.
“Consequently, as custodians of justice, it behoves Your Lordships to approach these questions with a rights-based lens, ensuring that our jurisprudence aligns with national constitutional guarantees as well as international human rights norms.
“We must also remain particularly mindful of the vulnerabilities faced by women, children, and marginalized communities in the digital space.”
In his remarks, the National Human Rights Commission Executive Secretary, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, urged judicial officers to brace up for the challenges posed by technology, which he noted is reshaping lives, economies, and governance at supersonic speed.
He said judicial officers must be equipped with the knowledge, tools, and adaptive skills to interpret laws in contexts unimagined just a decade ago.
Ojukwu said: We live in a time where technology is reshaping lives, economies, and governance at a breakneck speed. Yet, with its boundless opportunities come profound challenges exemplified by data privacy breaches, cybercrime, digital surveillance, and the spread of misinformation which threaten the very rights we are all sworn to protect.
“In this landscape, the judiciary stands as the last line of defence for citizens navigating the digital frontier. This workshop, therefore, is both timely and critical.
“As custodians of justice, judicial officers must be equipped with the knowledge, tools, and adaptive skills to interpret laws in contexts unimagined just a decade ago.”
Also speaking, the President of the National Industrial Court, Justice Benedict Kanyip, said upholding justice in the digital age requires adapting legal systems to address the unique challenges posed by technology.
He said such challenges relate to digital evidence, cybersecurity, online harassment, hate speech, and the digital divide, given the disparity in access to technology and digital literacy.
Paradigm Initiative’s Executive Director Gbenga Sesan expressed confidence in the resource persons’ ability to adequately address digital rights issues in Nigeria.
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