Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun stressed that no matter how sophisticated technology becomes, judicial reasoning cannot be delegated to machines.
Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has declared that while artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are reshaping the administration of justice, they can never replace the constitutional duty of judges to determine legal rights and obligations.
Speaking on Monday at the Nigerian Bar Association, Lagos Branch 2026 Law Week themed “Beyond Disruption: Redefining Legal Practice at the Intersection of Law, Technology and Justice,” the Chief Justice said every major technological advancement ultimately ends up before the courts, where it must be tested not only for innovation but also for its compliance with constitutional principles, fairness and the rule of law.
According to her, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, digital assets, cybercrime, electronic evidence and synthetic media has fundamentally transformed legal practice and judicial adjudication, requiring judges to acquire sufficient technological literacy to effectively evaluate digital evidence and emerging technologies.
“Every significant technological development eventually arrives in a courtroom where it must be examined not simply through the lens of innovation, but through the enduring requirements of legality, fairness and constitutionalism,” she said.
Justice Kekere-Ekun, however, stressed that no matter how sophisticated technology becomes, judicial reasoning cannot be delegated to machines.
“Technology is an instrument of justice. It can never become its substitute,” she said.
According to the Chief Justice, judicial decision-making goes beyond the mechanical application of legal rules, involving constitutional interpretation, the assessment of witness credibility, the balancing of competing rights and the exercise of judicial conscience.
“Those responsibilities cannot be delegated to algorithms,” she added.
The CJN also warned that the increasing use of opaque artificial intelligence systems—commonly described as “black boxes”—raises constitutional concerns because litigants have a right to understand and challenge the reasoning underlying judicial decisions.
She noted that Section 36 of the Constitution guarantees every litigant the right to a fair hearing, including the opportunity to scrutinise the evidence and reasoning upon which courts base their judgments.
“That constitutional guarantee is difficult to reconcile with opaque artificial intelligence systems whose reasoning cannot readily be explained,” she observed.
Kekere-Ekun further cautioned that the growing sophistication of AI-generated or synthetic evidence would present courts with difficult questions regarding authenticity, reliability and accountability.
While maintaining that AI can improve administrative efficiency and assist in organising information, she insisted that responsibility for determining legal rights must remain with judges who are constitutionally accountable for their decisions.
“Our objective is not to imitate other jurisdictions, but to develop solutions that reflect our own constitutional values and institutional realities. Technology must serve Nigeria’s justice system, not the other way around,” she said.
She concluded that Nigeria has a unique opportunity to build Africa’s leading digital justice system by harnessing the strengths of its judiciary, legal profession and technology sector while remaining firmly anchored in constitutional values.
