A forensic analyst from the Office of the National Security Adviser, Babagana Musa Mingali, told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the mobile phone belonging to the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, Prof. Cyril Ndifon, contained no relevant data during forensic analysis.
According to The PUNCH, testifying before Justice James Omotosho on Thursday, Mingali, who serves as a Chief Superintendent of Police and the second defense witness, revealed that an analysis of two mobile phones—belonging to Ndifon and his lawyer, Samuel Anyanwu—yielded no incriminating evidence.
Ndifon and Anyanwu are facing a four-count charge, including allegations of sexual harassment, cybercrime, and an attempt to obstruct justice.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission alleges that while serving as Dean, Ndifon asked a female Diploma student, identified as TKJ, to send him obscene images via WhatsApp. Anyanwu is also accused of intimidating a prosecution witness during the trial. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Under the lead of defense counsel, Joe Agi (SAN), Mingali testified that he joined the Nigerian Police Force in 2010 and had been working with the NSA’s office since 2017. He stated that his forensic examination was conducted following a court order dated July 5, 2024, and that his report was submitted on August 8, 2024.
Justice Omotosho admitted the court’s request letter and the forensic report as exhibits.
Detailing his forensic process, Mingali explained, “My lord, we used the Universal Forensic Extraction Device, Touch Tool, and some cables, including external storage devices, to extract data.” However, he confirmed that his analysis found no images, email exchanges, voice recordings, text messages, or conversations relevant to the case.
Mingali suggested that the lack of data from January 2021 to January 2024 could be attributed to outdated WhatsApp applications on the devices. “The applications need to be updated for a more comprehensive analysis,” he said.
During cross-examination, ICPC’s counsel, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, questioned Mingali’s expertise, to which the analyst confirmed having five years of experience in forensic analysis. He also asserted that ICPC staff had been posted to the NSA lab, though he could not provide posting letters as evidence.
Mingali acknowledged that the same forensic tools used in his analysis were also employed by the ICPC to generate Exhibit H, which contained images from one of the mobile phones. He conceded that updating WhatsApp applications could potentially recover additional data.
Following the testimony and cross-examination, Justice Omotosho adjourned the case to April 3, 2025, for the continuation of the defense.
