The Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja on Monday granted former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, permission to hire forensic experts to inspect WhatsApp chats and a mobile phone marked “iPhone 2” admitted as evidence in his ongoing $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion fraud trial.
Justice Rahman Oshodi approved the request after Emefiele’s lead counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), asked the court to allow an independent forensic review to confirm the authenticity of the extracted WhatsApp messages already tendered as exhibits.
“The defence seeks the court’s leave to call a forensic expert to examine both the mobile device and printed conversations allegedly linked to the defendants,” Ojo said.
Emefiele and his co-defendant, Henry Omoile, face 19 counts of abuse of office, gratification, corruption, and fraudulent property transactions involving $4.5 billion and N2.8 billion, filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
However, EFCC counsel, Chineye Okezie, opposed the application, arguing that the exhibits should remain strictly in court custody until trial ends. She also criticized the defence for not disclosing the name of the forensic lab or the qualifications of the experts to be engaged.
Okezie urged the court to direct the EFCC’s Director of Forensics to choose the lab, monitor the process, and maintain the chain of custody.
In his ruling, Justice Oshodi said the defence was entitled to an independent forensic review but imposed safeguards to protect the evidence’s integrity. He ordered that the inspection be conducted in the presence of representatives from all parties, with each side limited to one lawyer and one forensic expert. A court official will supervise the process, which will take place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on September 24 and 26, 2025.
He also directed that Exhibit E (iPhone 2) must remain in court custody throughout.
The case was adjourned to October 7 and 8, 2025, for continuation of trial, and October 9, 2025, for further hearing.