The Federal Government has initiated criminal proceedings against Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Mike Ozekhome, filing a three-count charge related to alleged forgery and the use of falsified documents.
The case, marked FCT/HC/CR/010/2026, was brought before an Abuja Federal High Court on Friday by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on behalf of the Attorney-General.
The prosecution alleges that during a property dispute before the London First-Tier Tribunal, Ozekhome presented a forged Nigerian international passport to claim ownership of a property at 79 Randall Avenue, London.
These offences were reportedly committed in August 2021 across both Abuja and London.
Beyond the forgery, the government claims Ozekhome knowingly acquired the property from an individual named Shani Tali, an act cited as a felony under the Corrupt Practices Act.
The prosecution listed investigators and officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service as witnesses, while documents to be tendered include the judgment of the UK tribunal, extra-judicial statements, official correspondence, and passport data related to the disputed identity.
No date has yet been fixed for the defendant’s arraignment.
The charge stems from a prolonged ownership dispute over the London property, in which Ozekhome and the late retired Lieutenant-General Jeremiah Useni were named parties.
The case, filed before the UK First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), listed Tali Shani as the applicant and Ozekhome as the respondent.
Ozekhome reportedly claimed the house was gifted to him in 2021 by Mr Tali Shani, while lawyers for another claimant, Ms Tali Shani, insisted she was the rightful owner.
However, after reviewing multiple documents and testimonies, the tribunal ruled that neither “Mr” nor “Ms” Tali Shani existed and held that the property was, in fact, owned by Useni under a false identity.
The Federal Government’s charges are believed to have arisen from findings linked to that UK judgment.
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