Former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele
Ikeja Special Offences Court has postponed its ruling on the admissibility of digital evidence presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the ongoing corruption trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
Justice Rahman Oshodi fixed October 9 for the decision after listening to legal arguments surrounding the authenticity and certification of documents retrieved from the mobile device of John Adetola, a former executive assistant to Emefiele.
Emefiele is currently facing a 19-count charge involving alleged gratification and corrupt practices, while his co-accused, Henry Omoile, is being tried on three counts related to the unlawful receipt of gifts.
The alleged infractions involve financial transactions totaling $4.5 billion and ₦2.8 billion.
At Tuesday’s hearing, EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) resumed the examination of one of its operatives, Alvan Gurumnaan, who detailed the digital footprints unearthed during the commission’s probe.
Among the evidence presented were WhatsApp chats said to be between key figures linked to the case. Gurumnaan told the court that the term “PCS” seen in the messages referred to “piece,” a slang for a $1,000 unit.
He further disclosed that messages extracted from Adetola’s phone showed a conversation with one Eric Eboh, allegedly instructing him to deliver $400,000 to Emefiele.
According to the witness, Adetola admitted he received the money and handed it over as directed.
Efforts to trace and question Eboh are reportedly still underway.
While some documents, including those dated February 2024, were accepted without objection, others sparked a heated exchange.
Defence lawyers Olalekan Ojo (SAN) and Kazeem Gbadamosi (SAN) challenged the admissibility of the digital records, arguing they lacked the required certification under Section 84 of the Evidence Act.
They insisted that, as electronically generated evidence, the materials must be accompanied by a certificate confirming their authenticity before they can be admitted.
However, Oyedepo countered that the witness had already verified the integrity of the device used during the data extraction, making additional certification unnecessary. He maintained that the materials constituted “primary evidence of a private conversation” and were directly relevant to charges 18 through 20.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter to October 9, when it will rule on whether the contested digital evidence will be admitted.
NAN
