Since 1 June 2025, you cannot get a general affidavit sworn on paper anywhere in Lagos state. A circular from the Ikeja High Court's registry made the change, and it reaches more affidavits than most people expect.
What the directive changed
The Deputy Chief Registrar (Admin) at the Ikeja High Court issued a circular carrying the Chief Judge's directive. From that date, general affidavits go only through the LagosCoMiS online platform, not a paper form filled at a commissioner's desk.
The circular names change of name, loss of a SIM and declaration of age as examples. News coverage at the time described the rule as reaching general affidavits of that kind broadly, not only those three.
If a bank, school or employer has asked you for a fresh affidavit and you are in Lagos, assume the portal route applies unless you have a specific reason to think otherwise.
What is excluded from the rule
Affidavits filed to support a live case before the High Court sit outside this directive. Those still follow the court's ordinary litigation process, separate from the portal.
The distinction matters because a litigation affidavit usually forms part of a bigger court file, prepared alongside a lawyer, rather than a standalone document you need for a bank or an agency.
If you are unsure which category your affidavit falls into, ask the court registrar handling the matter before you choose a route. Guessing wrong wastes a trip or a login.
Where the rule sends you instead
The portal is lagoscomis.lagosjudiciary.gov.ng, known as LagosCoMiS, short for the Lagos Court Management Information System. It now carries the affidavits the directive covers.
Our walkthrough of the LagosCoMiS process covers setting up an account, the Payer ID field and the oath step, in the order you meet them.
What has not changed
You still swear the affidavit in front of someone authorised to take it. The directive moves the paperwork, the payment and the record onto a portal. It does not remove the oath itself, and it does not change who is legally allowed to administer one.
Content still needs to be accurate and true, whether you swear it on a screen or on paper before a commissioner.
Common mistakes since the rule took effect
- Turning up with a paper affidavit for a covered type. A change-of-name or similar affidavit drafted on paper will not be accepted where the rule applies. Start on the portal instead.
- Assuming a litigation affidavit needs the portal too. Check with the court registrar handling your case first, since these still follow the older route.
- Losing the reference number. Once your affidavit is issued, save the reference number. You will need it to verify the affidavit later.
- Waiting for a bank or agency to explain the change. Most simply expect a valid affidavit and will not know or care which route produced it, so it helps to understand the rule yourself.
Once you know which route applies, our courts and affidavits hub links the rest of this series, and where and how affidavits work covers the wider picture beyond Lagos. A vetted partner firm can also prepare and file an affidavit of loss once you know which portal your affidavit needs.