Court reserves ruling on EFCC’s digital evidence against Emefiele

The Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State, has adjourned until Thursday, October 9, 2025, to rule on the admissibility of digital evidence presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Justice Rahman Oshodi reserved the date after hearing arguments from both sides on the authenticity and certification of documents extracted from a former executive assistant to the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.

Emefiele is facing a 19-count charge bordering on receiving gratification and corrupt demands.

His co-defendant, Henry Omoile, faces a three-count charge for unlawful acceptance of gifts by agents.

The charges involve alleged transactions amounting to $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion.

Earlier, the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), continued with the testimony of operative Alvan Gurumnaan, who detailed the digital trail uncovered during investigation.

$4.5bn fraud trial: EFCC, lawyer clash over forensic analysis of Emefiele’s phone

The evidence presented included WhatsApp conversations between key individuals in the case.

The witness explained that the acronym “PCS” found in the chats meant “piece”, a code signifying a unit of $1,000

Further analysis of the phone of Emefiele’s former executive assistant, John Adetola allegedly revealed chats with Eric Eboh instructing him to deliver $400,000 to the ex-governor.

Gurumnaan testified that Adetola confirmed receiving and delivering the money, adding that efforts to locate and interview Eboh were ongoing.

Some documents dated February 2024 were admitted without objection, but others extracted from Adetola’s phone met strong resistance from the defence.

Defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN) and Kazeem Gbadamosi (SAN), opposed their admissibility, citing lack of proper certification under the Evidence Act.

They argued that the documents, being electronically generated, should be certified true copies as required by Section 84 of the Evidence Act.

The prosecution countered that certification was unnecessary since the witness confirmed the originality of the equipment used to extract the data.

Oyedepo told the court that the document belonged to the EFCC, and any officer familiar with the device could give evidence on it.

He argued that it was primary evidence of a private conversation, unaltered and relevant to counts 18 to 20 in the charge sheet.

The judge, thereafter, adjourned the matter until October 9 for ruling.

The Star