The National Judicial Institute (NJI) has raised concerns over emerging conduct and confidentiality risks confronting the judiciary, warning that the growing use of technology, rapid communication and increased public scrutiny have made professional ethics more critical to the credibility of the justice system.

The Institute said judicial staff must recognise that their responsibilities extend beyond routine administrative duties, particularly as they handle sensitive court records, confidential communications, judicial schedules and other information capable of affecting the integrity of judicial proceedings.

The warning came at the National Workshop on Ethics for Court and Other Judicial Staff held at the Andrews Otutu Obaseki Auditorium, Abuja.

Declaring the workshop open, the Administrator of the NJI, Justice B. A. Adejumo, who represented the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, said the changing operating environment of the judiciary requires a corresponding strengthening of ethical standards among its personnel.

He said the judiciary’s reputation could be damaged not only by the actions of judicial officers but also by the conduct of staff who interact with court users, manage official information and support judicial administration.

“Ethics must remain central to judicial administration,” Adejumo said, stressing that every staff member contributes to the institution’s reputation.

He warned that acts of discourtesy, indiscretion, favouritism or other forms of misconduct could undermine public confidence painstakingly built in the judiciary over time.

According to him, the increasing speed of communication through technology has created additional responsibilities for judicial personnel, particularly in protecting information entrusted to them in the course of their duties.

Adejumo said judicial staff were custodians of sensitive institutional processes and must therefore exercise discretion, confidentiality and sound judgment.

He noted that courts now operate in an environment where their activities attract greater public attention and scrutiny, making individual conduct increasingly consequential to the image of the institution.

“The misconduct of a single staff member can affect the entire institution,” he said, urging participants to remain vigilant and committed to the values that define judicial service.

The Administrator said professionalism must therefore become a daily practice rather than a principle observed only during formal judicial proceedings.

He urged participants at the workshop to learn from the resource persons and adopt practices that would strengthen ethical conduct and improve performance across jurisdictions.

The workshop formed part of the NJI’s 2026 calendar of programmes and followed an earlier ethics workshop for judicial officers of Superior and Lower Courts held in April.

Adejumo said the NJI Board of Governors, chaired by the CJN, remained committed to promoting excellence and ethical standards across the judicial system.

He commended the chairman of the Education Committee of the Board of Governors, Justice John Inyang Okoro and other committee members for their contribution to the Institute’s programmes. (The Guardian)