New Evidence Act paves way for electronic evidence in courts

• CFIN lauds Jonathan
Ben Uzor Jr

Computer Forensics Institute, Nigeria (CFIN), the government-approved body for the training and certification of digital forensics experts in Nigeria, has commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the swift way his administration signed into law the new Evidence Act that has now paved the way for the admissibility of computer and electronic generated evidences in Nigerian courts.

Peter Olu Olayiwola, president/chairman of the body in a press statement, at the weekend, congratulated Nigerians on this noble feat achieved in the early stage of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration heaving a sigh of relief that at last digital and computer forensic evidence is now admissible in the courts of our land.

He said with this development there’s hope for this country even as he expressed the gratitude of CFIN to all those in the forefront of fighting for the realisation of the new Evidence Act. The body was exceptionally grateful to Senator Sola Akinyede and his committee and the National Assembly for working tirelessly to push through the amendment of the 68-year-old Act.

Olayiwola explained the role of CFIN to nation building and said his institute works in the area of national security by assisting the federal and states law enforcement agencies, and other agencies of government that have to do with security in the area of capacity building by developing the capabilities in the identified staff that man certain critical areas in their various organizations.

While introducing computer forensics as the science of detection and investigation of crime committed either using the computer or on the computer network, internet and other digital devices with the intent of giving digital evidence in litigation, Olayiwola said computer forensics can be used to detect and gather evidence that will lead to the prosecution of the culprit. According to him, over 75 percent of all criminal cases have one form of digital or electronic evidence or the other.

Further, he said there is no country in the world that is absolutely crime free but that what advanced and forward looking nations have done was to use technology to ameliorate and investigate forensically any time a crime was committed to be able to bring the perpetrators to book.

Olayiwola therefore said with the amendment of the Evidence Act that the coast was now clear for the full practice of computer forensics in Nigeria assuring that Nigeria will witness a new era in her legal and judicial system. According to him, Nigerians can now make full use of the expertise of certified digital and computer forensics examiners as expert witnesses in their court cases as is the case in countries with the same type of Nigeria’s new Evidence Act.

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