Court Orders Probe Of Court Registrar, Defendant Over Alleged ₦10 Billion Fraud Evidence Tampering

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday ordered the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services to investigate the court registrar, Nasiru Onimisi Zubairu, and the second defendant, Daudu Sulaiman, over alleged tampering with key exhibits in an ongoing ₦10 billion fraud trial.

The directive followed a disclosure by the judge that the registrar allegedly confessed that Sulaiman approached him to delete vital WhatsApp messages contained in a phone submitted to the court as Exhibits N and O.

Naija News reports that Justice Omotosho played the registrar’s confession in open court and directed him to narrate what transpired between him and the second defendant.

Addressing the court, the judge said, “I have to disclose it because that is what the Chief Judge told us, to ensure we disclose such a thing as early as possible. We have a policy of discovery and disclosure at the Federal High Court. We have zero tolerance for this kind of attitude. The person involved is here, I will call him so that you will hear from the horse’s mouth.”

Zubairu told the court that Sulaiman approached him and allegedly offered assistance over his accommodation challenges in exchange for deleting some information from the exhibits.

“I was asked to delete some certain information, some WhatsApp messages in the exhibits on the promise that I will be given a house,” he said.

EFCC Confirms Deletion Of Chats

The judge also granted the prosecution counsel, Director of Public Prosecution, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), permission to direct the investigating officer, Muhammed Audu Abubakar of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to verify whether the chats had indeed been deleted.

Abubakar told the court that information contained in Exhibits N and O, including chats spanning 2020 to 2022, had been removed.

When asked about the specific chats he deleted, the registrar said he could not remember but admitted accessing two conversations.

“I can’t remember but I opened only two chat,” he told the court.

Details Of Missing Messages

During proceedings, the investigating officer confirmed the absence of several messages allegedly linked to financial transactions.

He informed the court that conversations between December 3 and December 28, 2020 were missing, adding, “There was no chat on 23 December, it stopped on December 22 and continued on 29 December, 2020.”

Further checks revealed other deleted messages, including those allegedly referencing monetary movements such as “Hudu is bringing ₦100 million,” “₦60 million is on transit,” and “Mr Ododo has collected ₦50 million and will be coming tomorrow to Abuja.”

Additional entries, including “Hudu is on his way, coming with ₦93m, ₦7m for TJ,” and references dated February 28, 2022, were also confirmed missing.

Abubakar told the court he encountered the chats during the investigation before they were allegedly deleted.

Reacting to the development, Oyedepo urged the court to order an immediate investigation and forensic examination of the exhibits, noting that there was strong suspicion of tampering.

“This issue be investigated and the report brought to your lordship, there is a very urgent irresistible suspicion that exhibit N which contains crucial evidence have been tempered with. We apply that the lordship grant an order revoking the bail of the defendant and order forensic investigation of exhibit N,” he said.

Counsel to the defendant expressed shock at the allegations but urged the court to await the outcome of investigations.

“I will urge my lord to await the outcome of the investigation,” the defence lawyer said.

In his ruling, Justice Omotosho directed the Police and the DSS to investigate the alleged tampering and report back to the court.

The matter was adjourned to February 9, 2026, for continuation of the trial.