The Special Offences Division of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has granted former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, permission to subject key pieces of evidence tendered against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to an independent forensic examination.
Justice Rahman Oshodi, in a ruling on Monday, ordered that forensic experts engaged by the defence be allowed to scrutinise WhatsApp conversations and a mobile device marked “iPhone 2,” both of which were admitted as exhibits in the ongoing $4.5bn fraud trial.
Emefiele, alongside his co-defendant, Henry Omoile, is standing trial on a 19-count charge bordering on abuse of office, gratification, corruption, and fraudulent property transactions involving billions of naira and dollars.
The court directed that the forensic inspection be conducted on September 24 and 26, 2025, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., under strict supervision to ensure the integrity of the exhibits.
Each party in the case is permitted to present no more than one lawyer and one forensic expert during the exercise, while a court representative will oversee the process.
“The chain of custody of Exhibit E (iPhone 2) must be preserved at all times and the device must remain in court custody,” Justice Oshodi ruled.
The decision followed a heated legal tussle between Emefiele’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), and EFCC’s counsel, Chinenye Okezie.
Ojo had argued that a forensic analysis was crucial to establishing the authenticity of the digital messages, which form a major plank of the prosecution’s case. “It is a critical element of our defence,” he submitted.
But Okezie opposed the application, insisting that the defence failed to provide adequate details of the proposed forensic exercise, such as the choice of laboratory, the qualifications of the experts, or the timeframe for completion.
She urged the court to mandate the EFCC’s Forensic Department to nominate an accredited laboratory if the application was to be allowed.
Despite the prosecution’s objections, Justice Oshodi upheld the defence’s request but set safeguards to prevent tampering with the exhibits.
The trial has been adjourned to October 7 and 8, 2025, for continuation of hearing, while the alleged victim is expected to testify on October 9.
At a previous hearing, an EFCC witness, Alvan Gurumnaan, testified that Emefiele allegedly collected $17.1 million in cash through proxies over a period of three years, with the transactions documented and tendered before the court.
The forensic analysis of the exhibits, once carried out, is expected to play a decisive role in shaping the next phase of the high-profile trial that has gripped national attention.
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