What is an affidavit?
An affidavit is simply a written statement declared on oath. The person making the statement swears on oath before someone who is authorized to administer oaths (such as a commissioner for oaths in the Court or notary public). The sworn document (affidavit) is usually required by law for several purposes.
Gone are the days when you have to visit the Court in person in order to obtain an affidavit. Various State High Court of Justices in Nigeria has launched an e-affidavit system which means that you can create an affidavit online without visiting the Court. The platform, known as CoMis, was launched in 2022 and has been very efficient.
While outside the country, I was able to use the e-affidavit system to create affidavits while working on some clients’ instructions and the process was really smooth.
1. Does one need to reside in any State in order to use the CoMis electronic affidavit system?
The good news is that in many cases, you would be able to use an affidavit obtained in any High Court in Nigeria for many purposes that require affidavits. This means that you do not have to travel to a specific state to obtain an affidavit. In other words, an affidavit obtained in Lagos State for instance could be legally used in Abuja FCT.
A peculiar circumstance where you might need to depose to an affidavit and file it in a specific state is where the affidavit is part of a court process for litigation. In such a case, it is quite logical to depose to an affidavit and file it together with the court processes in that state.
VARIOUS AFFIDAVITS
- Statutory declaration of age
- Declaration of marriage
- Change of signature
- Affidavit of bachelorhood
- Affidavit of spinsterhood
- Correction of name on birth certificate
- Biometric update
- Correction of SIM registration details
- Change of vehicle engine number
- Change of name (click here to see a step-by-step guide on how to change your name in Nigeria)
- Change of ownership (vehicle)
- Confirmation of name
- Correction of name
- Correction of date of birth
- Rearrangement of name
- Loss of passport
- Damaged Passport
- Illiterate declaration of age
- Illiterate change of name
- Affidavit of divorce
- Loss of SIM
- Affidavit of single mother
- Proof of death
- Change of signature
- Good conduct
- Vehicle plate number
- Bidding
- Deletion from quota
- Affidavit of consent
- Affidavit of loss
- Next of kin
- General Form option to fit your specific need.
Legal practitioners can file suits online through the StateComis platform
Apart from e-affidavit, StateComis has many other electronic filing systems that are very useful, particularly for legal practitioners.
