LAGOS COURT APPROVES EMEFIELE’S REQUEST FOR FORENSIC ANALYSIS OF WHATSAPP CHATS, IPHONE IN EFCC TRIAL
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
The Special Offences Division of the Lagos High Court in Ikeja has granted former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, permission to engage forensic experts to examine WhatsApp conversations and a mobile device marked “iPhone 2,” both tendered as evidence in his ongoing corruption trial.
Justice Rahman Oshodi, in a ruling on Monday, held that the defendant was entitled to an independent forensic review, provided strict safeguards were in place to protect the integrity of the evidence.
The judge ordered that the inspection be conducted in the presence of representatives of all parties, with each side permitted to bring one lawyer and one forensic expert. The process, to be supervised by a court representative, has been scheduled between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on September 24 and 26, 2025.
Emefiele is standing trial alongside co-defendant Henry Omoile on a 19-count charge bordering on abuse of office, corruption, gratification, and fraudulent property transactions involving \$4.5 billion and ₦2.8 billion.
At an earlier hearing on June 24, 2025, Emefiele, through his lead counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), challenged the authenticity of the digital messages presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He requested the court’s leave to call forensic experts to verify the evidence, describing it as a “critical element” of the defence.
Opposing the application, EFCC counsel Chinenye Okezie argued that the defence had failed to provide details such as the name of the forensic laboratory, the qualifications of the experts, or the duration of the examination. She also stressed the need to preserve the chain of custody and proposed that the Commission’s Forensic Department nominate an accredited lab.
In his ruling, Justice Oshodi emphasized that Exhibit E (the iPhone 2) must remain in court custody at all times, with the chain of custody preserved throughout the process.
The trial was adjourned to October 7 and 8, 2025, for continuation of hearing, and October 9, 2025, for the testimony of the alleged victim.
Earlier, at the May 27, 2025 sitting, EFCC’s eighth prosecution witness, Alvan Gurumnaan, testified that Emefiele allegedly received \$17.1 million in cash through a proxy over a three-year period. The Commission subsequently tendered documents linked to the transactions as evidence.
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