A biometric-enabled Bail Information Management System (BIMS) is being piloted in five states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, to improve access to justice and reduce overcrowding in correctional facilities.
The system, developed and deployed by Nigerian LegalTech company, Global T&T New Solutions Limited, connects to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to help courts verify the identities of sureties, track bail records and identify individuals who repeatedly stand surety for different defendants.
Mr Musbau Famuyiwa, Chief Executive Officer of Global T&T New Solutions, disclosed this while addressing newsmen on Thursday.
Famuyiwa said the system was designed for bailable offences and would enable courts to access records of individuals standing as sureties for defendants.
He explained that the system was connected to NIMC to verify the identities of sureties appearing before courts.
According to him, the system would also help courts identify professional sureties who repeatedly stand for defendants in different cases.
He said some professional sureties often provided false names, addresses and bank statements to secure bail for suspects.
“Now the court will know the true identity of this person. That is what it does.
“The court will now decide whether they want to grant bail or not,” he said.
Famuyiwa said the system would encourage suspects to present genuine family members as sureties rather than engaging professional sureties who charged exorbitant fees.
He added that some professional sureties often failed to return to court when cases were called.
The CEO said the bail information system was being piloted in Abia, Plateau, Anambra, Delta and Edo states, as well as the FCT.
He said the system had been installed in Umuahia, Jos, Onitsha, Asaba, Benin and Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, respectively.
According to him, the installation exercise commenced in July and was completed on Sept. 24, 2026, starting from the FCT and ending in Anambra.
He said the pilot project was sponsored by the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) programme in partnership with the judiciaries of the participating states.
Famuyiwa expressed hope that the pilot programme would enable the participating states to expand the system to other judicial districts, following the Lagos model.
