FG Files Criminal Charge Against Nigerian SAN Ozekhome over Alleged Forgery
- The federal government has filed a three-count criminal charge against Mike Ozekhome over alleged forgery linked to a disputed UK property
- Prosecutors accused the senior lawyer of presenting a forged Nigerian passport and other documents to support ownership claims before a London tribunal
- The case followed a UK tribunal ruling that dismissed all claims to the property, stating that the alleged owners involved did not exist
Legit.ng's Muslim Muhammad Yusuf is a 2025 Wole Soyinka Award-winning journalist with over 8 years of experience in investigative reporting, human rights, politics, governance and accountability in Nigeria.
The federal government has instituted criminal proceedings against Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Mike Ozekhome over allegations of forgery and the use of falsified documents in connection with a contested property in the United Kingdom.
Court documents obtained by Vanguard showed that the three-count charge, with suit number FCT/HC/CR/010/2026, was filed on Friday, January 16, 2025, before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Source: Facebook
The charge was brought by officials of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
The prosecution team is led by Osuobeni Akponimisingha, head of the commission’s high-profile cases unit, alongside Ngozi Onwuka, an assistant chief legal officer.
According to the charge sheet, Ozekhome is accused of knowingly presenting forged documents, including a Nigerian international passport, during proceedings at the London First-tier Tribunal to support his claim to a property located at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX.
The alleged offences were said to have been committed in August 2021 within the Maitama area of Abuja, which falls under the jurisdiction of the FCT High Court.
Accused of supplying false information
Prosecutors accused the senior lawyer of supplying false information, making and using forged documents, and attempting to mislead a public authority.
In one of the counts, the government alleged that Ozekhome unlawfully received the London property, purportedly transferred to him by one Shani Tali, an act it claimed amounted to a felony under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act.
Another count accused him of fabricating a Nigerian passport bearing the name Shani Tali, with the intent of using the document to strengthen his ownership claim over the disputed property. A further charge alleged that he knowingly presented the same passport as a genuine document despite having reason to believe it was false.
The Federal Government listed several witnesses expected to testify during the trial, including ICPC investigators and an official of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).
Among the documents to be tendered in court are the judgment of the London First-tier Tribunal, extra-judicial statements, official correspondence, and passport-related records linked to Shani Tali.
No date has been fixed for the commencement of the trial.
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Background of the dispute
According to Vanguard, the criminal case stems from a prolonged property dispute involving the London house, which was the subject of proceedings before the UK First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), Land Registration.
Named in the dispute were Mike Ozekhome and the late Jeremiah Useni, a retired lieutenant-general.
The case, filed under reference REF/2023/0155, listed Tali Shani as the applicant and Ozekhome as the respondent. While Ozekhome maintained that the property was gifted to him in 2021 by Mr Tali Shani, another claimant, identified as Ms Tali Shani, asserted ownership through her legal representatives.
A witness, Mr Tali Shani, testified in support of Ozekhome, claiming he held powers of attorney over the property and had transferred it accordingly.
He further stated that he had owned the house since 1993 and later appointed Useni as his property manager.
However, documents tendered by witnesses supporting Ms Tali Shani — including identity cards, passports, phone records, and obituary materials — were rejected by the tribunal.
In its final ruling, the UK tribunal dismissed all competing claims, concluding that neither “Mr” nor “Ms” Tali Shani existed. The tribunal held that the actual owner of the property, operating under a false identity, was the late Jeremiah Useni.
FG withdraws criminal charges against Natasha
The criminal charges instituted by the federal government (FG) against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan have been struck out by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Legit.ng reports that the case sparked intense debate on freedom of expression in Africa's most populous country, Nigeria.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan maintains innocence throughout the legal proceedings, criticising the charges as misguided.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
