Evidence management training for Nigeria’s Complex Casework Group

kotarski Judicial Capacity Building, News and Events

Between 14 – 21 September 2021, the Wayamo Foundation held a series of training sessions for prosecutors from Nigeria’s Complex Casework Group (CCG) focusing on their new case-filing system and the use of Intella software for evidence management. 

The series of small-group sessions were held online, and featured instruction from Kris Kotarski, Digital Programmes Manager, Wayamo Foundation and Rebeka Juhosová, legal researcher and data-management expert. Raphael George, the CCG’s in-house digitisation expert, also assisted in the training, which delivered tailor-made instruction to small teams prosecutors nominated by the CCG. 

Over the span of a week, 18 CCG members received hands-on training on Intella software, which included a mix of individual and group exercises focusing on adding new cases, building a searchable database, and using Intella’s search tools to find connections in uploaded documents. The sessions focused on helping prosecutors with different levels of computer skills to gain the confidence to use digital tools when building terrorism cases. 

The CCG is a specialised unit coming under the Directorate of Public Prosecutions at the Ministry of Justice. Together, the Wayamo Foundation and the CCG are creating an electronic case-file database to serve as a repository for terrorism files and their corresponding judgements. This database will also serve to build more complex cases which may address international crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Wayamo’s bespoke training sessions for Nigeria’s CCG will continue in October and November 2021.