Blockchain in the Security and Integrity of Legal Evidence: A Futuristic Proposal for Nigeria

This work is a modest attempt aimed at proposing the imperatives of blockchain technology in Nigeria's legal system as part of the realities of the 4th and 5th generation industrial revolution to guarantee the security and integrity of legal evidence in the civil and criminal justice administration. This is pursuant to the pervasive challenges of tampering, loss and wilful manipulation of evidence and miscarriage of justice in the country. This novel technology therefore provides immutable guarantees in the management of evidence. Consequently, the work strongly advocates the adoption of blockchain technology to effectively provide the necessary safeguards and security of evidence and shield same from manipulations, distortions, thefts and destruction of evidence. That way, judicial pronouncements/judgements will be based on secured evidence and will ultimately guarantee fairness and equity in justice administration. While the technology is not flawless, its strengths are by far impregnable and if adopted will revolutionise the justice system in Nigeria. The work relied essentially on secondary sources for the orderly collection of data and presentations to ensure objectivity and validity of a sustainable road map for the adoption of blockchain technology in evidence management.