The Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, has fixed September 15, 2025, to rule on an application by a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, seeking a forensic examination of some WhatsApp messages admitted in evidence in his ongoing trial for an alleged $4.5 billion and ₦2.8 billion fraud.
Justice Rahman Oshodi fixed the date after listening to arguments from Emefiele’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), challenging the authenticity of the digital messages presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against him.
Through the lawyer, the former CBN boss told the court that he would need to engage a forensic expert to confirm the veracity of the evidence.
The defendant asked the court to permit the forensic expert to examine both the mobile device identified as an “iPhone 2” used to extract the messages, as well as the printed chat logs.
The senior lawyer argued that the forensic analysis was necessary to verify the credibility of the evidence, which played a critical role in the case being prosecuted by the EFCC.
In opposing the application, the EFCC counsel, Chinenye Okezie, told the court that the defendant had failed to meet the procedural requirements for such an application.
Okezie also submitted that once such an exhibit has been admitted into evidence, the court assumed custody of the item and it must remain intact until the conclusion of the trial.
She stressed that the defence had not provided adequate details about the forensic process, including the name of the lab, the qualifications or experience of the personnel to conduct the analysis, or the expected duration of the examination.
She also stated that there must be a proper chain of custody to ensure the device isn’t tampered with and it is returned to the court upon conclusion of the exercise.
After listening to both sides, Justice Oshodi adjourned his ruling on the issue till September 15 after the courts’ annual vacation.
