By OLUSOJI DAOMI
There is a peculiar Nigerian habit that continues to amaze me.
We can spend hours counting ₦5 million before giving it to somebody, yet we will not collect a receipt. We will transfer ₦2 million to a friend and delete the WhatsApp conversation. We will buy land because “Oga, I know the man,” and keep no proper document.
Then trouble comes. The friend says, “I never borrowed money from you.” The seller says, “I never sold that land to you.” The contractor says, “You never gave me that instruction.” And suddenly, everybody remembers the story differently. That is when the matter may find its way to court. And the question becomes very simple: “Can you prove what you are saying?”
This is why Nigerians must understand evidence.
Evidence is the material placed before a court to prove or disprove facts that matter in a case. It may be oral testimony, a contract, receipt, bank statement, photograph, WhatsApp message, email, video, electronic record or other material recognised by law.
But there is a very important warning:
Not everything you bring to court automatically becomes evidence the court can rely upon. A document may be relevant but still face an objection to its admissibility. And even when evidence is admitted, it does not automatically mean that the court must believe it or give it decisive weight.
In simple terms: Relevant does not always mean admissible. Admitted does not mean conclusive. And having a document does not necessarily mean you have proved your entire case.
Consider this. You transfer ₦5 million to Chinedu. Three months later, Chinedu says it was a gift. You say it was a loan. Your bank statement may prove that ₦5 million moved from your account to his. But does the transfer itself prove that it was a loan? Not necessarily. What was the agreement? What did you discuss? Are there WhatsApp messages? Was there an acknowledgement? Was there a repayment date? Did he make any part payment? Was there an invoice or other document explaining the transaction?
These additional records may become extremely important in helping the court determine what actually happened. This is why I keep telling business owners, traders, landlords, tenants, contractors, employees, employers and ordinary Nigerians: Do not merely transact. Create a record of the transaction.
If you sell goods, keep invoices and receipts. If you deliver goods, obtain acknowledgement. If you lend money, document the loan. If you make a substantial payment, preserve the transfer record and transaction reference. If an important agreement is reached on WhatsApp, do not casually delete the conversation. If you buy property, investigate the title and properly document the transaction. If instructions are given to a contractor or business partner, confirm important instructions in writing.
Why?
Because memory is fragile. Relationships change. People die. Businesses collapse. And the person who said “I will never deny you” yesterday may become the person saying “I don’t know what you are talking about” tomorrow.
There is another side to this. Evidence can also destroy a weak case. Suppose the Police recover a phone from a suspect and say, “This is the stolen phone.” The recovery is important. But questions remain. Who recovered it? Where was it found? How was it identified? How was it preserved? Can the prosecution establish its connection with the alleged offence?
The same applies to a bloodstained knife, firearm, money, CCTV footage or electronic communication. Recovered does not automatically mean proved. The court must examine the evidence according to law. This is also why you should never manufacture evidence. Do not forge receipts. Do not edit conversations to create a false story. Do not fabricate agreements after a dispute has started. The purpose of evidence is to assist the court in determining the truth, not to deceive it.
The great lesson is therefore simple. Nigerians often protect their money but fail to protect the evidence of their money. We count the cash. We confirm the transfer. But we forget the receipt. We trust the friend. We ignore the agreement. We buy the property. We neglect the paperwork. Until the dispute comes. Then we discover that the strongest witness may not be the person standing beside you. It may be the document you preserved.
So, before you send that money, buy that property, deliver those goods, enter that partnership or lend that friend your hard-earned savings, pause for a moment. Ask yourself: “If this transaction becomes a court case tomorrow, what evidence will I have?” That question alone can save you years of litigation. Keep the receipt. Preserve the record. Document the transaction. Because in the courtroom, it is not always enough to say: “I know what happened.” You may ultimately have to prove it.
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