Former Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Godwin Emefiele has been granted his request to examine WhatsApp conversations, which were admitted as evidence against him in his trial for alleged fraud at a Lagos High Court Special Offences Division Ikeja.
Mr. Emefiele filed an application to be allowed to engage forensic experts to review the WhatsApp conversations and a mobile device marked “iPhone 2.”
Presiding judge in the case brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Justice Rahman Oshodi in his ruling held that the defendant had the right to conduct an independent forensic review provided safeguards were in place to protect the integrity of the evidence.
He ordered that the inspection of the evidence be conducted in the presence of the representatives of all parties in the case, with each party allowed no more than one lawyer and one forensic expert.
The court also directed that the process be supervised by a court representative and conducted between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on September 24 and 26, 2025.
Emefiele, who is facing a 19-count charge alongside co-defendant Henry Omoile, is accused of abuse of office, receiving gratification, accepting gifts through agents, corruption, and fraudulent property transactions involving $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion.
At the proceedings of June 24, 2025, just before the court’s annual vacation, Emefiele through his lead counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olalekan Ojo had challenged the authenticity of the digital messages presented by EFCC against him.
Emefiele...on trial