The Book

Digital Evidence & eDiscovery Law Practice in Nigeria

Chapter 8

Cellphone Data and Cellular Networks as Evidence​

Mobile phones are highly mobile communications devices that perform an array of functions ranging from simple digital organiser to a low-end personal computer. Designed for mobility, they are compact in size, battery powered and lightweight. Complementary data released by Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) back in 2015 showed that the number of Nigerians accessing the Internet using their mobile phones had hit 80.3 million. Cellular phones have become the virtual biographer of our daily activities, tracking who we talk to and where we are. Although compact, these handheld devices can contain personal information including call history, text messages, emails, digital photographs, videos, calendar items, memos, address books, passwords, and credit card numbers. It has in recent times become an indispensable piece of evidence in a criminal investigation. Chapter 8 is, therefore, devoted to the analyses of cell phone data as digital evidence.