FG charges Ozekhome over alleged forgery in UK property dispute

The Federal Government of Nigeria has filed a criminal charge against Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, over alleged forgery and use of false documents in a disputed property case in the United Kingdom.

The three-count charge, filed on Friday before a Federal High Court in Abuja, was submitted by Osuobeni Akponimisingha, head of the high-profile prosecution department at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and Ngozi Onwuka, assistant chief legal officer, on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

Ozekhome, 68, is accused of presenting forged documents, including a Nigerian international passport, to support his claim of ownership of a property at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, during proceedings before the London First-Tier Tribunal.

The offences are alleged to have occurred in August 2021 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal Capital Territory High Court. The charges include giving false information, using forged documents, and attempting to deceive a public authority.

The charge sheet reads in part:

• Count one: Ozekhome allegedly received a house at 79 Randall Avenue, London, purportedly from one Mr Tali Shani, knowing it constituted a felony, in violation of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
• Count two: He allegedly made a false document, specifically a Nigerian passport bearing the name of Mr Tali Shani, to support his property claim, contrary to the Penal Code CAP 532 of the FCT, 2006.
• Count three: He allegedly used the same false passport to claim ownership of the property, despite knowing it was false, in violation of the Penal Code.

The federal government intends to call several witnesses, including its investigators and a representative of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), and plans to tender exhibits such as the London tribunal judgment, extra-judicial statements, official letters, and passport data related to Tali Shani.

The case has not yet been assigned a trial date.

The UK property dispute originally involved Ozekhome and the late retired Lt. Gen. Jeremiah Useni. The case, filed at the First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Land Registration, UK, under case number REF/2023/0155, also involved an applicant named Tali Shani.

Ozekhome claimed he received the property as a gift from “Mr Tali Shani” in 2021, while lawyers for “Ms Tali Shani” insisted she was the rightful owner. A witness testifying in favour of Ozekhome claimed he had Powers of Attorney over the property and had transferred it to Ozekhome.

The tribunal, however, found documents tendered by Ms Tali Shani’s side—including an obituary, NIN card, and ECOWAS passport—to be forged and ruled that neither “Mr” nor “Ms” Tali Shani existed. The court determined that the real owner, under a false name, was Useni.