Are electronic signatures legal in Nigeria?

Which Nigerian laws recognise electronic signatures?

Nigeria has no single electronic transactions statute. Two laws do the work instead. Section 93 of the Evidence Act 2011 deals with proving signatures: section 93(2) says that where a rule of evidence requires a signature, or sets consequences if a document is not signed, an electronic signature satisfies it, and section 93(3) says an electronic signature may be proved in any manner, including by showing a procedure existed that required the person to execute a symbol or security procedure before going further.

Section 17(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes Act 2015 says electronic signatures in respect of purchases of goods and any other transactions shall be binding. Section 17(1)(b) puts the burden of proof on the person who disputes the signature, and section 17(1)(c) makes forging another person's electronic signature an offence.

What does section 17(2) exclude?

Section 17(2) of the Cybercrimes Act lists transactions excluded from the categories of contracts and declarations that are valid by electronic signature. It does not list land or powers of attorney, but land transactions have their own requirements, including the Governor's consent under the Land Use Act and registration, and those processes set the form.

• Creating and executing wills, codicils and other testamentary documents
• Death certificates
• Birth certificates
• Family law matters such as marriage, divorce and adoption
• Court orders, notices, affidavits, pleadings, motions and other judicial documents
• Cancelling or terminating utility services
• Instruments required to accompany the transport or handling of dangerous materials
• Orders withdrawing drugs, chemicals or other materials that are fake, dangerous or expired

What have the courts said about electronic evidence?

The practical hurdle in Nigerian courts is admissibility. Section 84 of the Evidence Act sets conditions for admitting a statement in a document produced by a computer, including a certificate about the computer and how the document was produced. In Kubor v Dickson (2013) the Supreme Court held that computer printouts tendered without meeting section 84 were inadmissible. The Evidence (Amendment) Act 2023 updated the electronic evidence provisions, so check the current text when preparing a case.

Nigeria does not have a licensing regime for advanced or qualified signatures for private contracts. The question in a dispute is evidence: who signed, how they were identified, and whether the record has changed.

Evidence to keep

Plan for the section 84 certificate before you need it. Keep the material that lets someone responsible for the system describe how the record was created.

• The final signed PDF, sealed against later edits
• The certificate of completion and audit trail
• How each signer was identified, such as an email code
• Timestamps, IP address and device data
• The emails that delivered the signing links

Where Sign PDF fits

Sign PDF's signing step is the kind of 'security procedure' section 93(3) describes: a signer cannot proceed until they confirm a six-digit code sent to their email and agree to sign electronically. The certificate of completion records IP address, approximate location, device and UTC times, with a SHA-256 fingerprint of the original and a hash-chained audit trail, all sealed with an independent DigiCert timestamp.

Use it for employment contracts, NDAs, service agreements, purchase orders and sales contracts. It does not cover the section 17(2) exclusions, and land transactions still need the consent and registration process. This page is general information, not legal advice; ask a Nigerian legal practitioner about admissibility and high-value documents.