The Federal Government has initiated a major legal action against a prominent legal figure, filing a three-count criminal charge against Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mike Ozekhome. The charges are centered on allegations of forgery and the use of false documents connected to a contentious property located in the United Kingdom.
Details of the Criminal Charges
Court documents reveal that the charge, bearing suit number FCT/HC/CR/010/2026, was officially filed on Friday, January 19, 2026, before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja. The prosecution is being led by officials from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) acting on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The prosecution team is headed by Osuobeni Akponimisingha, who leads the ICPC's high-profile cases unit, and includes Ngozi Onwuka, an assistant chief legal officer. The charge sheet accuses Ozekhome of knowingly presenting forged documents, including a Nigerian international passport, during proceedings at the London First-tier Tribunal. This was allegedly done to bolster his claim of ownership over a property situated at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX.
The alleged offences are said to have been committed in August 2021 within the Maitama district of Abuja, which places the case under the jurisdiction of the FCT High Court. One count specifically alleges that Ozekhome unlawfully received the London property, purportedly transferred to him by an individual named Shani Tali, an act classified as a felony under the Corrupt Practices Act.
Background and UK Tribunal Ruling
This criminal case is a direct offshoot of a prolonged property dispute that was adjudicated in the United Kingdom. The case, referenced as REF/2023/0155, was heard by the UK First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), Land Registration. The dispute involved Mike Ozekhome and the late Lieutenant-General Jeremiah Useni.
Ozekhome had maintained that the property was gifted to him in 2021 by a Mr. Tali Shani, who testified in support of this claim. However, another claimant, identified as Ms. Tali Shani, also asserted ownership through legal representatives. In a decisive ruling, the UK tribunal dismissed all competing claims. The tribunal concluded that neither "Mr" nor "Ms" Tali Shani actually existed and determined that the true owner of the property, operating under a false identity, was the late Jeremiah Useni.
Next Steps in the Nigerian Case
The Federal Government has listed several witnesses to testify during the forthcoming trial in Nigeria. These include investigators from the ICPC and an official from the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS). Key documents to be presented in court comprise the judgment from the London tribunal, extra-judicial statements, official correspondence, and passport records linked to the name Shani Tali.
No date has yet been set for the commencement of the trial. This high-profile case brings a significant legal controversy from a foreign jurisdiction into the Nigerian court system, testing the mechanisms for addressing cross-border allegations of document forgery and fraud involving a senior member of the legal profession.
