R-L: Hanningtone Amol, Carol Thomas-Jacobs, Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye, Kaduna State Attorney General Aisha Dikko, Dr. Elachi Agada, Ebelechukwu Enedah, Counsel from Kaduna Ministry of Justice
By Ed Malik, A | September 19, 2022
@ddnewsonline.com
Hanningtone Amol, Team Leader of regional law firm, ALP East Africa in Kenya and an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, has urged the Nigerian and African courts to embrace the use of electronic form of evidence in the resolution of court cases.
Amol, who spoke at a two-day workshop on “Oral Advocacy and Electronic Evidence”, which held in Abuja recently, noted that the system is not only time-saving and seamless but very effective in the resolution of election petitions.
The workshop which was organized by the Attorneys General Alliance-Africa (AGA-Africa) in collaboration with the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice was aimed at enhancing and sharpening the skills of prosecutors, to enable them understand the intersection between jurisprudence and digital opportunities available for quick dispensation of justice.
Speaking with journalists later, the Kenyan lawyer, narrated how the Supreme Court of Kenya resolved the presidential election litigation in kenya within 14 days, saying that the feat was achieved through the use of electronic evidence which he said is an attestation to the fact that, “we can have political processes and still have the rule of law prevail, we don’t have to have recourse to armed conflict, ethnic conflict as a way of resolving conflict or dispute”.
According to Amol, some of the lessons learnt from the case is that, “one, we can actually use electronic means to manage election, and secondly, that the courts are changing and becoming flexible and appreciating that electronic evidence is part and parcel of the solution of major dispute like constitutional dispute surrounding elections”.
The Kaduna State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Aisha Dikko, remarked that electronic evidence is becoming more relevant and accepted in prosecuting cases in today’s world because a lot of evidence presented in court are electronic in nature.
“So, we thought it is good to bring the lawyers here and refresh their minds on how to present electronic evidence in their cases”, she said, “We want to enhance their capability so that they do better in court”.