Mike Ozekhome, SAN, has been charged with a crime by the federal government for allegedly forging and using false documents in a contentious property issue in the UK.
On behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Osuobeni Akponimisingha, head of the prominent prosecution department at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and Ngozi Onwuka, assistant chief legal officer, filed the three-count charge, designated FCT/HC/CR/010/2026, before a federal high court in Abuja on Friday.
During proceedings before the London First-Tier Tribunal, Ozekhome is charged with deliberately providing fake documents, including an international passport from Nigeria, to support his claim of ownership of a house at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX.
According to Vanguard, the FCT high court has jurisdiction over the alleged offenses, which were perpetrated in August 2021 in the Maitama neighborhood of the nation’s capital.
Three charges are listed on the charge sheet: attempting to defraud a public authority, using counterfeit documents, and providing false information.
The charge stated: COUNT ONE: That you, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN (M) ’68yrs’ of No. 53, Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, sometime in August 2021 or thereabout at a location outside of Nigeria, namely London, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, directly received house 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, purportedly given to you by one Mr. Shani Tali, an act that violated section 13 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses, Act, 2000.
COUNT TWO: That, while working as a lawyer and senior advocate for Nigeria, you, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN (M) ’68yrs’ of No. 53, Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, sometime in August 2021 or thereabout in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, made a false document, specifically Nigeria passport A07535463, in the name of Mr. Shani Tali, with the intention of using it to support a claim of ownership of 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, with the intent to commit fraud. As a result, you committed an offense against section 363 and were punished under section 364 of the Penal Code CAP 532 laws of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, 2006.
COUNT THREE: That you, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN (M) “68yrs” of No. 53, Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, sometime in August 2021 or thereabout in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, dishonestly used a false Nigerian passport A07535463 bearing the name of Mr. Shani Tali to support a claim of ownership of property known and described as 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, when you had reasonable suspicion that the document was false.
The federal government nominated a number of witnesses, including its investigators and a Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) representative, that it plans to call during the trial.
The London First-Tier Tribunal’s ruling, extrajudicial declarations, correspondence from pertinent authorities, and Shani Tali’s passport information are among the documents that must be submitted as exhibits.
A trial date has not yet been set for the case.
A home at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, was the subject of the controversy.
Ozekhome and Jeremiah Useni, a retired lieutenant-general who is now deceased, are named in the property dispute.
Tali Shani was the applicant and Ozekhome was the respondent in the case, which was filed under case number REF/2023/0155 at the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Land Registration, UK.
On the one side, Ozekhome had claimed the property, and on the other, Ms. Tali Shani.
Ozekhome claimed that “Mr. Tali Shani” gave him the house as a gift in 2021, but “Ms. Shani’s” attorneys maintained that she was the true owner.
In support of Ozekhome, a witness named “Mr. Tali Shani” stated in his testimony that he had “Powers of Attorney” over the property and had given it to the respondent (Ozekhome).
Using Useni as a “elder friend and business partner,” Mr. Tali Shani claimed to have hired Useni as his property manager after asserting ownership of the property since 1993.
However, witnesses of Ms. Tali Shani presented a variety of documents, such as an obituary notification, NIN card, ECOWAS passport, phone number, etc., to assert property ownership.
Nevertheless, the tribunal determined that every document submitted on behalf of Ms. Tali Shani was fraudulent.
After that, it rejected every allegation, concluding that there was no “Mr.” or “Ms.” Tali Shani. The court determined that Useni was the true owner, using a fictitious identity.
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