The Federal Government has instituted criminal proceedings against prominent lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome, over allegations of forgery and the use of falsified documents in connection with a disputed property in the United Kingdom.
Court documents obtained on Sunday indicate that the 68-year-old legal practitioner is being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The charges were filed before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja on Friday on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi.
The three-count charge was signed by the ICPC’s Head of the High Profile Prosecution Department, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, alongside Assistant Chief Legal Officer, Ngozi Onwuka.
The prosecutors allege that Ozekhome knowingly presented forged documents, including a Nigerian passport, to advance a claim of ownership over a property located at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX.
According to the charge sheet, the alleged offences were committed around August 2021, partly in London and partly in Abuja, placing them within the jurisdiction of the FCT High Court.
The prosecution claimed that Ozekhome falsely represented that the London property was gifted to him by an individual identified as Shani Tali.
The investigators allege that the transaction constituted a felony under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act.
In another count, the senior lawyer is accused of producing a Nigerian passport bearing the name “Shani Tali” with the intention of using it to support his ownership claim before the London First-Tier Tribunal.
The prosecutors argue that the passport was forged and that Ozekhome, as a senior legal practitioner, knowingly relied on the document to mislead a public authority.
The final count accused him of dishonestly presenting the allegedly forged passport as a genuine document, despite having reason to believe it was not authentic.
These charges were brought under relevant provisions of the Penal Code applicable in the Federal Capital Territory.
Although Ozekhome has not issued any official response to the charges, the Federal Government has listed a number of witnesses it plans to present during the trial.
These include ICPC investigators and officials from the Nigerian Immigration Service, whose testimony is expected to focus on passport records and identity verification.
The prosecution also intended to tender several documents as evidence, including judgments from the UK tribunal, extra-judicial statements, correspondence from relevant authorities, and passport-related data linked to the disputed identity of Shani Tali.
As of the time of filing, the court has not fixed a date for the commencement of trial.
The criminal case is rooted in a long-running ownership dispute over the London property, which involved Ozekhome and the late Jeremiah Useni.
The matter was previously heard by the UK First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), Land Registration, under case reference REF/2023/0155.
In the tribunal proceedings, Ozekhome maintained that the property was transferred to him in 2021 by “Mr Shani Tali” as a gift.
Another claimant, identified as “Ms Tali Shani,” also asserted ownership through her legal representatives.
During the hearing, a witness presented as “Mr Tali Shani” testified in support of Ozekhome, claiming he had owned the property since 1993 and later appointed Useni as a property manager and business associate.
However, opposing witnesses tendered various documents, including identity records and official notices, to support the rival claim.
After reviewing the evidence, the tribunal concluded that neither “Mr” nor “Ms” Tali Shani could be established as real persons.
It ultimately ruled that the documents presented by both sides were unreliable and declared the late Jeremiah Useni as the rightful owner of the property.
The Nigerian criminal proceedings now mark a significant escalation in the matter, shifting the focus from a civil property dispute abroad to alleged criminal conduct at home.
