The Federal Government has initiated criminal proceedings against prominent Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Mike Ozekhome, over allegations involving forgery and the use of fraudulent documents related to a property dispute in the United Kingdom.
According to documents obtained on Sunday, the 68-year-old lawyer is being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The three-count charge was filed on Friday at a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court by the ICPC’s legal team on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi.
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The charges center on a property located at 79 Randall Avenue, London. The ICPC alleges that in August 2021, Ozekhome knowingly presented a forged Nigerian passport in the name of Mr. Shani Tali to support his ownership claim during proceedings at the London First-Tier Tribunal.
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The specific counts are detailed as follows:
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Count One: Alleges that Ozekhome “directly received House 79 Randall Avenue, London… purportedly given to you by one Mr. Shani Tali,” an act the prosecution claims constitutes a felony.
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Count Two: Accuses the senior lawyer of “making a false document, to wit: Nigeria passport A07535463 bearing the name of Mr. Shani Tali with intent to use same to support claim of ownership… with intent to commit fraud.”
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Count Three: Charges him with having “dishonestly used as genuine a false ‘Nigeria passport… when you had reason to believe that the said document was false.”
The dispute originally involved Ozekhome and the late Jeremiah Useni. While Ozekhome maintained he received the London house as a gift from a “Mr. Tali Shani” in 2021, legal representatives for a “Ms. Tali Shani” claimed she was the rightful owner.
However, the UK tribunal eventually dismissed all claims, ruling that neither the “Mr.” nor “Ms.” Tali Shani existed, and identifying the real owner as Useni.
While Ozekhome has not yet issued an official comment, the Federal Government has listed several witnesses, including investigators and Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) officials.
Evidence to be presented includes the UK tribunal’s judgment and passport data. A trial date has yet to be scheduled.
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