A Federal Excessive Court docket in Abuja has ordered the Nigeria Police Pressure and the Division of State Companies to research the court docket’s Registrar, Nasiru Onimisi Zubairu, over alleged tampering with reveals in a N10 billion fraud trial.
The order was made by Justice J.Ok. Omotosho following disclosures involving the court docket’s Registrar and the second defendant, Daudu Sulaiman.
The choose stated the investigation grew to become obligatory after the Registrar admitted that Sulaiman approached him to tamper with reveals deposited earlier than the court docket.
What the court docket stated
In keeping with Justice J.Ok. Omotosho, the court docket has a strict coverage of transparency and 0 tolerance for conduct able to undermining judicial proceedings.
The alleged tampering pertains to reveals tendered in an ongoing N10 billion fraud case.
- The court docket heard that the reveals, marked N and O, embody a cell phone containing WhatsApp chats tendered as proof by the prosecution.
- “I must disclose it as a result of that’s what the Chief Decide instructed us, to make sure we disclose such a factor as early as attainable. Now we have a coverage of discovery and disclosure on the Federal Excessive Court docket. Now we have zero tolerance for this type of perspective.
- “The particular person concerned is right here, I’ll name him in order that you’ll hear from the horse’s mouth,” the choose stated.
- Justice Omotosho thereafter performed the Registrar’s confessional recording in open court docket and directed him to elucidate what transpired between him and the second defendant.
Stand up to hurry
The Registrar, Nasiru Onimisi Zubairu, instructed the court docket that the second defendant approached him whereas the reveals have been in court docket custody and requested him to delete sure WhatsApp messages contained within the cellphone.
In keeping with Zubairu, Sulaiman requested what he wished in return, and he instructed him he was dealing with lodging challenges.
- “I used to be requested to delete sure data, some WhatsApp messages within the reveals on the promise that I shall be given a home,” Zubairu instructed the court docket.
When requested by the choose to specify which chats he deleted, the Registrar stated he couldn’t bear in mind the precise messages however admitted that he opened two chats.
Justice Inyang Ekwo allowed prosecutors to ask the EFCC’s investigating officer, Muhammed Audu Abubakar, to confirm whether or not key WhatsApp messages had been deleted.
Abubakar instructed the court docket that forensic checks confirmed a number of chats from 2020 to 2022 have been lacking, together with messages allegedly referencing massive money actions, with gaps present in December 2020, January 2021, August 2021, and February 2022.30, 2021, and February 28, 2022, which investigators stated referenced the switch and receipt of huge sums of cash.
Extra particulars
Reacting to the findings, Director of Public Prosecution, Mr, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, urged the court docket to order a full investigation.
- “There’s a very pressing, irresistible suspicion that Exhibit N, which comprises essential proof, has been tampered with. We apply that your lordship grants an order revoking the bail of the defendant and orders a forensic investigation of Exhibit N,” the prosecutor stated.
Defence counsel expressed shock on the growth however urged the court docket to await the result of the forensic investigation earlier than taking any additional steps.
Justice Omotosho ordered the Nigeria Police Pressure and the Division of State Companies to research the alleged tampering and adjourned the matter to February 9, 2026, for continuation of the trial.
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