WhatsApp evidence for Nigerian courts, Section 84 ready
WhatsApp chat for a Nigerian court? Section 84 needs compliance. Preserve it right.
Under Section 84 of the Evidence Act, a WhatsApp chat is admissible only on compliance, by oral foundation or a certificate of compliance. Export the conversation, send it to us, and we deliver a certified package: a readable, line-numbered transcript, a SHA-256 hash, an independent timestamp, chain of custody, and your raw export preserved. One conversation, in 24 hours.
A debt, a business deal, a matrimonial matter, an employment dispute? A court can reject a screenshot tendered without Section 84 compliance. Preserve it properly first.
In Kubor v Dickson the Supreme Court refused electronic evidence tendered without Section 84 compliance. We give you the hash and authenticated original that compliance turns on.
Delivered in 24 hours · SHA-256 hash and preserved original · Verifiable by anyone
Customer
online
I confirm I owe you 500,000 naira for the supply.
10:12
Will pay by end of the month, no wahala.
10:13
Noted. Please keep to it this time.
10:15
Illustrative example. A preserved full thread gives you the authenticated original Section 84 compliance turns on.
Every package can be verified by anyone, for free, in the open Trust Verifier.
Quick answer
Are WhatsApp messages admissible as evidence in Nigeria?
Yes, but only on compliance with Section 84 of the Evidence Act 2011. WhatsApp messages are computer-generated documents, and to admit them you must either lead oral evidence laying the foundation under Section 84(2), or file a certificate of compliance under Section 84(4). In Kubor v Dickson the Supreme Court held that an electronic document tendered from the bar, without compliance, is inadmissible. Export the whole conversation from WhatsApp (open the chat, use Export chat, include media), then have it certified: a line-numbered transcript, a SHA-256 hash, chain of custody and an independent timestamp.
ProofSnap gives you the hash and authenticated original that the certificate and the foundation witness rely on. It does not sign the Section 84 certificate itself, which the device holder does. This is not legal advice. One conversation is $59.99, about 83,000 naira, in 24 hours.
Section 84 and how WhatsApp gets admitted
Electronic evidence in Nigeria is governed by Section 84 of the Evidence Act 2011, as amended in 2023. A WhatsApp chat is admissible, but only if you satisfy the statute.
A WhatsApp chat is a computer document
It is a computer-generated document under Section 84, so it is admissible only if the conditions in the section are met, not by simply handing it up to the court.
Two routes to compliance
Either a witness leads oral evidence laying the foundation under Section 84(2), or you file a certificate of compliance under Section 84(4) as a substitute for that testimony.
Kubor v Dickson is strict
In Kubor v Dickson the Supreme Court held that an electronic document tendered from the bar, without Section 84 compliance, is inadmissible.
Where we fit, and where we do not
We give you what the certificate speaks to
The Section 84(4) certificate speaks to reliability: that the device was working properly and produced the document without tampering. ProofSnap gives you exactly the proof of that, a SHA-256 hash, a chain of custody, an independent timestamp and the untouched original. We do not sign the certificate: the person in a responsible position in relation to the device, usually the device holder, does. We make the reliability it certifies easy to establish.
General information, cited as illustration, not legal advice.
Obtain it lawfully. How you get the messages matters. Preserve conversations you are a party to or are lawfully entitled to hold, and take advice on tendering them correctly under Section 84. See a Nigerian overview of digital evidence.
What a preserved chat can prove in Nigeria
WhatsApp runs Nigerian business and family life, so the evidence lives in a chat. Once it is preserved and complies with Section 84, it carries across the courts.
A debt or a business deal
An admission of a debt, a demand for payment or agreed terms supports a claim or a defence. The message where the other side accepts the obligation is often the case.
Matrimonial and divorce
Chats showing conduct, cruelty or adultery are received in matrimonial proceedings, but only if Section 84 is satisfied, so preserve the full thread and present it properly.
Employment disputes
Instructions, a promised allowance, a dismissal or misconduct communicated by chat. The exact words and timing matter, and the certified export keeps both.
Fraud and cybercrime
Messages evidencing fraud or an online scam support a complaint, including to the authorities. If you are the victim, a certified record strengthens the report.
Defamation and threats
Defamatory or threatening messages support a claim or a complaint. Preserve the whole exchange, including the number and profile that sent it.
Property and tenancy
Rent, a deposit, repairs or the terms of a property deal agreed over WhatsApp. The chat shows what was agreed and by whom when a dispute arises.
For a debt or a business deal, see WhatsApp contract and payment dispute evidence. For a matrimonial case, see WhatsApp evidence for divorce and custody, and for the general service, WhatsApp chat evidence.
Why a screenshot is refused in Nigeria
Take screenshots, they are a good first step. But under Section 84 a court can reject a computer document tendered without compliance, and a bare screenshot answers none of what the section asks.
Kubor v Dickson makes the point plainly: you cannot tender an electronic document from the bar. A cropped screenshot, stripped of its metadata, hash and provenance, is the easiest evidence for the other side to attack.
No Section 84 foundation
A screenshot on its own carries neither the oral foundation nor the certificate of compliance the Act requires. A certified export gives you the reliable original both routes rely on.
"It could have been edited"
Fake-chat generators can produce a convincing conversation in seconds, so a bare screenshot invites the claim it was altered. A SHA-256 hash and a signed manifest answer that.
No provable date
A screenshot has no independent timestamp. A qualified timestamp and a Bitcoin anchor fix when the messages existed, which matters when the sequence is disputed.
Only a fragment
A single message can be taken out of context. A full export shows the whole exchange in order, which is harder to dismiss and closer to the reliable record the court prefers.
From a WhatsApp chat to court-ready, in four steps
You export the conversation; we do the rest. No software to install, no forensic know-how required.
Export the chat
Use WhatsApp's built-in Export chat, with media, on your phone or computer.
Pay and upload
A secure upload page appears right after payment, so nothing sensitive goes by email.
We certify it
We seal your export with a SHA-256 hash, a signed manifest, chain of custody and a qualified timestamp.
You get the package
Within 24 hours: a transcript, the hash and a signed ZIP anyone can verify for free.
Step 1 in detail
How to export the WhatsApp chat
WhatsApp has a built-in per-chat export on your phone (iPhone and Android) and in the WhatsApp Desktop app (Mac and Windows). Choose to include media, and send us that export.
On a computer, in WhatsApp Desktop (Mac and Windows)
Export from WhatsApp Desktop
In the WhatsApp Desktop app on Mac or Windows, this is the quickest route:
- 1Right-click the conversation in your chat list (or click the chevron that appears on hover), then click Export chat.
- 2Choose Attach media (recommended) or Without media.
- 3The file is saved straight to your Downloads folder (a message confirms "Exported chat was saved to Downloads folder"). Send us that .zip.
You get the same _chat.txt plus media as the phone export. Desktop is easiest when the chat is already on your computer, or is too large to email from a phone.
On your phone (iPhone and Android)
Export from your phone
On iPhone: open the chat, then:
- 1Tap the contact or number at the top to open contact info.
- 2Scroll down and tap Export chat.
- 3Choose Attach media, then Save to Files.
On Android: open the chat, then:
- 1Tap More options (the three-dot menu at the top right).
- 2Tap More, then Export chat.
- 3Choose Include media, then pick how to save it.
Export chat greyed out or missing?
Two things can hide the in-app Export chat. It is unavailable in a few regions, and it is disabled when Advanced Chat Privacy is turned on for that chat. Turn Advanced Chat Privacy off and export again, use a device backup, or email us and we will guide you.
For the exact click-by-click with screenshots, see our guide to exporting and printing a WhatsApp chat for court, or WhatsApp's guide to exporting your chat history.
Send us everything (recommended)
The primary artifact is the _chat.txt export plus its media folder. For the strongest exhibit, if available also send the WhatsApp message database, which can sometimes still hold recently deleted messages and keeps the sender identifiers that support attribution. We seal whatever you send, hashed and timestamped, never opened. If authenticity is ever disputed, a court-appointed expert can verify the transcript against the source. Decrypting the database needs its key, which the custodian provides separately.
Optional: the message database
Find your device below, then send us the folder it points to. When in doubt, send more rather than less.
Connect by USB and copy the whole WhatsApp folder:
Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/
- •
Databases/:msgstore.db.crypt15and every dated backup - •
Media/: the attachments
Your 64-digit key: WhatsApp › Settings › Chats › Chat backup › End-to-end encrypted backup.
The store lives inside a device backup, so make a full local backup:
- 1.Plug into a Mac (Finder) or Windows PC (Apple Devices / iTunes)
- 2.Tick Encrypt local backup, set a password, back up
- 3.Send the whole backup folder:
~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/(Mac)%APPDATA%\Apple\MobileSync\Backup\(Windows)
Encrypting the backup is what keeps the WhatsApp data complete.
Zip this whole folder as-is (needs Full Disk Access):
~/Library/Group Containers/group.net.whatsapp.WhatsApp.shared/
- •Messages:
ChatStorage.sqlitewith its-waland-shmsidecars (recently deleted messages can live only in-wal) - •Attachments: the
Media/andMessage/folders
Too large to zip whole? Send the .sqlite with its -wal and -shm plus the Media folder.
Zip the whole folder for whichever build you have:
- •Store / older app:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\5319275A.WhatsAppDesktop_cv1g1gvanyjgm\LocalState\ - •Newer WebView2 build (default since late 2025):
%APPDATA%\WhatsApp\
Not sure which you have? Zip both paths if present, or just tell us.
Your files stay encrypted. Keep your key or backup password yourself. We seal everything exactly as sent, hashed and timestamped, and never open it. You only hand the key to a court-appointed expert if authenticity is ever disputed. After we deliver your finished package, we delete all your data from our servers.
What you get back
A readable transcript, and the proof Section 84 needs
We render your conversation into a clean, line-numbered Chat Conversation Transcript PDF: every message in original order, deleted messages shown as markers, photos inline where they were sent, and every other attachment referenced by file name and linked to the preserved file inside the package.
The SHA-256 hash and preserved original that support your Section 84 certificate of compliance
Every message in original send order, numbered so you or your counsel can cite "Line 81"
Deleted messages shown as markers, and photos rendered inline in place
A signed manifest, a chain of custody and the preserved original for an expert to examine
Bitcoin anchor plus an eIDAS qualified timestamp, verifiable by anyone for free
Two layers of proof, and what each one means
Both layers are included in every certification, on top of the SHA-256 hash and preserved original your Section 84 compliance turns on.
Bitcoin OpenTimestamps
The SHA-256 hash of your sealed manifest is anchored in the Bitcoin blockchain: a decentralised, independent, tamper-resistant proof that the export existed at a point in time. The court weighs it as part of the evidence.
eIDAS qualified timestamp
Independent corroboration
Issued by Disig a.s., a Qualified Trust Service Provider on the EU Trusted List. It is an EU qualified timestamp, so in a Nigerian court it stands as strong, independent proof of the date and integrity, alongside the hash and chain of custody.
What certification proves, and what it does not
What certification proves
- The SHA-256 hash of the export and the untouched original, which support the reliability Section 84 asks about.
- That the export existed in that exact state at the timestamp and has not been altered since.
- The raw export is preserved for the court or an expert to examine.
- If you also send the sealed message database, an expert can examine the sender identifiers.
What it does not do
- It does not sign the Section 84 certificate of compliance; the person in a responsible position, usually the device holder, does.
- It does not decide your case or replace counsel; the court decides.
- On its own it ties messages to an account, not conclusively to a named person; the court decides authorship.
We give you the hash, the authenticated original and the chain of custody that Section 84 compliance turns on, so your certificate or your foundation witness has reliable material to speak to. Tendering it correctly and arguing the case are for you, your counsel and the court.
Electronic documents are admissible under Section 84 of the Evidence Act 2011, by oral foundation under 84(2) or a certificate of compliance under 84(4), as confirmed in Kubor v Dickson. The eIDAS timestamp is an EU one, weighed as independent corroboration; in the US the same package supports authentication under FRE 901. ProofSnap is an evidence tool, not a law firm, and this is not legal advice.
Pricing
Already have the WhatsApp conversation exported? We certify it as-is.
One certification covers one conversation, including its attachments and any supporting file.
WhatsApp Chat Certification
1 conversation · certified in 24 hours
about 83,000 naira, billed in USD
- Your WhatsApp export, certified as-is
- The SHA-256 hash and preserved original for Section 84
- Line-numbered transcript, deleted messages marked
- eIDAS qualified timestamp + Bitcoin anchor + chain of custody
- Raw export preserved, verifiable by anyone for free
You are billed in USD; the naira figure is indicative, at about 1,380 naira to the US dollar. Right after payment, a secure upload page appears where you send us your files, so nothing sensitive has to go by email. If we cannot process your files, we will help you produce a usable export or issue a full credit. Not sure what you have? Ask us before you order.
A debt or a business deal?
Prefer to do it yourself for less?
For a web page, the SnapPack from $4.99 (about 6,900 naira) lets you self-certify. The full service is on the WhatsApp chat evidence page.
Frequently asked questions
For a web page, not a chat
Evidence on a website, a listing or in webmail, not WhatsApp?
If the evidence is a marketplace listing, a social profile, a company portal or a webmail thread, ProofSnap is a Chrome extension that captures it as court-ready evidence yourself, in seconds, before it is edited or taken down. Same integrity you read about here: a SHA-256 hash, an RSA-4096 signature, a Bitcoin blockchain timestamp and a Provenance Certificate, packaged into an 11 to 15 file evidence ZIP you can verify for free.
Standard SnapPack
10 captures · no expiration · one-time purchase
about 6,900 naira
Pay-as-you-go, no subscription. All features: export, metadata, a short video proof, Provenance Certificate and blockchain timestamp.
eIDAS SnapPack
EU qualified timestamps (Disig a.s.)
about 34,500 naira · $5.00 / stamp
Adds a qualified eIDAS timestamp per capture (Article 41), with a legal presumption of accuracy across the EU. Whitelabel branding on the evidence PDF.
Subscription
Essential · Professional · Enterprise
about 12,400 naira / month · annual plans save 20%
For regular use: monthly capture allowances, File Certification and eIDAS stamps on higher tiers. Includes a 7-day free trial (a credit card is required to start).
Prices are billed in USD; naira figures are indicative at about 1,380 naira to the US dollar. Prefer no subscription and no auto-renewal? The Standard SnapPack at $4.99 is a one-time purchase. SnapPacks are bought inside the extension after you install it. See the full ProofSnap pricing and features on getproofsnap.com.
Free to install · capture your first web evidence in under a minute.