•How Yahaya Bello’s Nephew Allegedly Compromised ₦10bn Fraud Trial
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate a shocking case of evidence tampering in the ongoing ₦10 billion fraud trial involving Daudu Sulaiman, nephew to former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
The order, issued on Thursday, followed a startling revelation by the trial judge that the court registrar, Nasiru Onimisi Zubairu, had confessed to being bribed by the defendant to destroy incriminating evidence.
Justice Omotosho disclosed to a stunned courtroom that Zubairu admitted to being approached by Sulaiman with a request to delete WhatsApp messages from a mobile phone already admitted as evidence (Exhibits N and O).
“I have to disclose it because that is the policy of discovery and disclosure at the Federal High Court,” Justice Omotosho stated. “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.”
House for a Wipe
Taking the witness stand, Zubairu narrated how the deal was struck. He told the court that Sulaiman approached him asking what he needed. When the registrar mentioned he was facing accommodation challenges, the defendant allegedly promised him a house in exchange for wiping the phone.
“I was asked to delete certain information—some WhatsApp messages in the exhibits—on the promise that I would be given a house,” Zubairu confessed. He added that Sulaiman provided a code to access the device and wipe the specific data.
Missing Millions
Following the confession, Prosecution Counsel Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) led EFCC Investigative Officer, Muhammed Audu Abubakar, to examine the device in open court. The inspection confirmed that several crucial messages spanning 2020 to 2022 had vanished.
Abubakar testified that messages detailing massive cash movements were no longer on the phone. Among the deleted chats were:
Jan 26, 2021: “Hudu is bringing ₦100m.”
Jan 30, 2021: “60m is in transit… they are on their way coming.”
Aug 30, 2021: “Mr. Ododo has collected ₦50m and will be coming tomorrow to Abuja.”
Jan 2, 2022: “Hudu is on his way, coming with ₦93m, ₦7m for TJ.”
The investigator noted that while the chats existed during the EFCC’s initial forensic analysis, they had been systematically purged from the court’s custody of the exhibit.
Irresistible Suspicion’
Reacting to the development, Oyedepo described the act as a desperate attempt to pervert the course of justice.
“There is a very urgent, irresistible suspicion that Exhibit N, which contains crucial evidence, has been tampered with,” the SAN argued. He urged the court to revoke the defendant’s bail and order a full forensic investigation.
While the defense counsel expressed “shock” and urged the court to wait for the official investigation results, Justice Omotosho took immediate action.
The judge formally directed the Police and the DSS to take over the investigation into the registrar and the defendant’s conduct. The case has been adjourned to February 9, 2026, for the continuation of the trial.
