A Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, has ordered the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services to investigate alleged tampering with key evidence in the ongoing N10bn fraud trial involving Ali Bello.
Justice J.K. Omotosho issued the directive on Thursday after revealing that a court registrar, Nasiru Onimisi Zubairu, allegedly colluded with the second defendant, Daudu Sulaiman, to delete crucial WhatsApp messages from a mobile phone tendered as evidence.
The judge disclosed in open court that the registrar confessed to him that Sulaiman approached him with a request to erase specific messages contained in Exhibits N and O, which were deposited with the court. Justice Omotosho played the recorded confession in court and ordered Zubairu to publicly explain how the incident occurred.
According to the registrar, Sulaiman promised to assist him with accommodation in exchange for deleting certain WhatsApp conversations from the phone. Zubairu admitted opening two chats but claimed he could not remember the exact messages deleted.
Following the revelation, the court allowed the Director of Public Prosecution, Rotimi Oyedepo SAN, to lead an EFCC operative, Muhammed Audu Abubakar, in evidence to determine whether the data had indeed been altered.
Abubakar told the court that multiple chats spanning 2020 to 2022 were missing from the phone. He identified several deleted entries referencing large cash movements, including messages mentioning sums ranging from N30m to N100m, as well as references to senior government officials.
Oyedepo urged the court to order a forensic investigation and revoke the defendant’s bail, citing strong suspicion that critical evidence had been compromised. Defence counsel, however, appealed for restraint, asking the court to await the outcome of investigations.
Justice Omotosho subsequently ordered the police and DSS to conduct a full investigation and adjourned the trial to February 9, 2026.
