The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has displayed the contents of the phone seized from music artiste, Azeez Fashola popularly known as Naira Marley.
When the defendant’s trial resumed on Wednesday at the Federal High Court in Lagos, the EFCC through the virtual projection of a Compact Disc (CD) with 51,933 pages showed the contents and analysis of the phone.
The commission did this while leading in evidence, its second witness, Mr Augustine Anosike, a mobile forensic expert.
Picking up from where he left off on Tuesday, the witness, again reiterated portions of his earlier testimonies and pointed out the corresponding visual spots of those testimonies on the screen of the projected CD.
For instance, the witness showed visual displays of the credit card numbers, chats, as well as incoming and outgoing Short Message Services (SMS) that were analysed from the defendant’s iPhone.
After the CD was displayed for about 45 minutes, the prosecutor then asked the witness to confirm two exhibits A and D, which were vital elements of his analysis.
Exhibit A is the Forensic Report Form, while exhibit D is the iPhone of the defendant.
Under cross-examination, the defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo, sought permission for the defendant’s iPhone to be kept in the custody of the court rather than for it to continue to remain in the custody of the prosecution.
He submitted that the court was capable of keeping exhibits, adding that it would make it easier for the defence team to apply for the exhibits if needed.
The court noted the request.
The counsel, thereafter, asked the witness if his analysis had also covered a possible number of persons that had used the defendant’s iPhone to which the witness replied that the number of persons could not be ascertained.
“As an experienced operative, are you aware that a person other than the owner of a phone can have access to the use of that phone?” he queried.
The witness, in his response, answered, “That will only be possible where the owner grants access.”
When the witness was asked who supplied him with the password to the iPhone, he told the court that the defendant provided the password to the investigating operatives who consequently, transmitted the same to him for his analysis.
After watching all the evidence, Justice Nicholas Oweibo adjourned the trial till November 30, as well as December 13 and 14.
Evidences Bordering On Cyber Fraud
On May 20, 2019, the anti-graft agency arraigned Naira Marley, who sang the popular song, “Am I a Yahoo Boy?” before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The EFCC said the offences were committed on different dates between November 26 and December 11, 2018, as well as May 10, 2019.
It alleged that Naira Marley and his accomplices conspired to use different Access Bank ATM cards to defraud their victims.
The EFCC also said that the defendant possessed and used counterfeit credit cards belonging to different people, with intent to defraud others.
The alleged offences are said to contravene the provisions of Sections 1 23 (1) (b), 27 (1) and 33(9) of Cyber Crime (Prohibition) Prevention Act, 2015.
When arraigned before Justice Oweibo, Naira Marley pleaded not guilty.
The court later granted him bail in the sum of N2 million with two sureties in like sum.
