An Ikeja Special Offences Court has adjourned ruling until October 9 on the admissibility of digital evidence tendered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
Justice Rahman Oshodi fixed the date after hearing arguments on the authenticity and certification of documents extracted from the phone of Emefiele’s former executive assistant, John Adetola.
Emefiele is facing a 19-count charge bordering on gratification and corrupt demands, while his co-defendant, Henry Omoile, faces a three-count charge for unlawful acceptance of gifts. The case involves alleged transactions worth $4.5 billion and ₦2.8 billion.
EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), led operative Alvan Gurumnaan in evidence. The witness detailed WhatsApp conversations allegedly showing cash deliveries, explaining that the acronym “PCS” in the chats meant “piece”, a code for $1,000.
According to Gurumnaan, Adetola’s phone contained chats with one Eric Eboh, instructing the delivery of $400,000 to Emefiele. He added that Adetola confirmed making the delivery, while efforts to trace Eboh were ongoing.
While some February 2024 documents were admitted without objection, the defence opposed others, arguing they were electronically generated and required certification under Section 84 of the Evidence Act.
Oyedepo countered that certification was unnecessary since the extraction was conducted with original equipment, stressing that the documents were primary evidence of private conversations relevant to the charges.
Justice Oshodi adjourned ruling until October 9.
