At the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference on Monday, August 25, 2025, legal minds converged at Breakout Session 1 to hear a thought-provoking paper presentation by Dr. Charles Omole, Director General of the Institute for Police and Security Policy Research. His paper, titled “Disruptive Artificial Intelligence: The Future of Nigeria’s Legal Landscape and Judicial Process in the 21st Century”, highlighted both the opportunities and dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) in reshaping Nigeria’s legal sector.
Dr. Omole painted a vivid picture of a future where justice could be influenced by machines, algorithms could replace lawyers, and deepfakes could undermine the credibility of evidence. He stressed that while AI promises efficiency, cost reduction, and expanded access to justice, it also carries serious risks of bias, privacy invasion, and threats to judicial integrity if left unregulated.
Drawing lessons from the United States, United Kingdom, China, India, and South Africa, he noted how courts and law firms globally are already integrating AI tools for research, e-discovery, predictive analytics, and case management. Nigeria, however, remains in the early stages of adoption due to poor infrastructure, low digital literacy, and the absence of a robust regulatory framework.
He warned that AI could easily compromise fairness if its opaque processes and biased data are unchecked. “No matter how advanced AI becomes, it cannot replace the ethical judgment and empathy of a human lawyer or judge,” he emphasized, calling for human oversight to remain central in judicial decision-making.
In his call to action, Dr. Omole urged the NBA, the judiciary, government, and individual lawyers to invest in digital literacy, enact AI-focused regulations, and create safeguards against deepfakes and algorithmic bias. He concluded that the legal profession in Nigeria stands at a crossroads: either to embrace AI responsibly as a tool to expand justice, or risk allowing it to become a source of new inequalities and injustice.
