Evidence Tampering Rocks ₦10bn Fraud Trial as Nigerian Judge Orders Investigation
A Federal High Court judge in Abuja has ordered a criminal investigation into alleged evidence tampering involving a court registrar and a defendant in a high-profile ₦10 billion fraud case linked to Kogi State government officials. The dramatic development unfolded in open court when Justice James Kolawole Omotosho disclosed that the registrar had confessed to deleting crucial WhatsApp messages from a mobile phone submitted as evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The deleted messages allegedly contained discussions of multi-million naira cash movements, including entries such as “Hudu will bring it now,” “₦100m is on transit,” and “Hudu is on his way to Abuja with ₦30m,” threatening to undermine the prosecution’s case against Ali Bello, Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kogi State.
Background and Context
The fraud charges stem from an investigation by Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), into alleged financial crimes involving officials connected to the Kogi State government. The ₦10 billion case centers on accusations that public funds were misappropriated through a sophisticated network of transactions between 2020 and 2022.
The EFCC had secured a court order to deposit a mobile phone containing WhatsApp conversations as Exhibit N, believing these digital communications would help establish money laundering and conspiracy charges against the defendants. The messages allegedly detail cash movements involving individuals identified as Mr. Ododo, Rabiu, and others, with some transfers reportedly occurring while funds were “in transit” to Abuja.
Key Figures and Entities
The controversy centers on Nasiru Onimisi Zubairu, the court registrar who admitted in open court to deleting evidence from the exhibit. According to his testimony, second defendant Daudu Sulaiman approached him and “asked what he wanted,” with Zubairu mentioning accommodation challenges. The registrar claimed he was promised a house in exchange for deleting specific WhatsApp messages from the device.
The case is being prosecuted by Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, who described the evidence tampering as “an urgent and irresistible suspicion” of criminal conduct. Mohammed Audu Abubakar, the EFCC investigating officer, confirmed to the court that chats spanning from December 2020 to February 2022 had been erased, noting specific gaps in the digital record between December 22-29, 2020.
Legal and Financial Mechanisms
The alleged tampering exploited the court’s evidence handling procedures, with the registrar accessing the exhibit device and using a code to selectively delete conversations. Abubakar testified that while reviewing Exhibit N, he discovered missing messages that had been present during earlier investigations but had subsequently vanished from the device.
The deleted communications allegedly contained crucial evidence about cash movements, with some entries tracking specific sums in transit—₦60 million, ₦30 million, and ₦100 million transactions. The prosecution has applied for both a revocation of the defendant’s bail and a forensic examination of the device to determine the full extent of the tampering and potentially recover the erased data.
International Implications and Policy Response
The case raises serious questions about the integrity of Nigeria’s judicial process in high-stakes corruption trials. Justice Omotosho emphasized that the Federal High Court maintains “a policy of discovery and disclosure” and “zero tolerance for this kind of conduct,” underscoring the institutional commitment to transparency even when it exposes internal vulnerabilities.
The judge has directed both the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services to investigate the matter and submit their findings, signaling an unprecedented response to alleged evidence tampering by court personnel. The trial has been adjourned to February 9, 2026, to allow for the investigation and potential forensic analysis of the compromised evidence.
Sources
This report draws on court proceedings from the Federal High Court, Abuja, testimony presented during the ₦10 billion fraud trial, and official statements from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission regarding the investigation into Kogi State officials. Information regarding the evidence tampering allegations comes from direct testimony provided in open court on the date of the hearing.
