EFCC Witness Declares Passport Linked to Tali Shani as Forged, Says Ozekhome

A key witness in the prosecution, Mr. Aridegbe Akim, informed an Abuja High Court on Friday that a passport identified as belonging to 'Tali Shani' was not issued by the Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS).

This statement was made during the trial of Senator Mike Ozekhome and Ponfa Useni, who are facing allegations of property fraud in London, as presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The Attorney-General of the Federation's office has brought a 12-count indictment against the defendants, centering on accusations of forgery.

It is claimed that they forged several documents, including an international passport and an irrevocable power of attorney, in an attempt to assert ownership of property in London that was reportedly acquired illegally by the late General Jeremiah Useni.

During the proceedings, Ozekhome and Useni both pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them.

As the trial resumed, prosecution lawyer Rotimi Oyedepo SAN presented the first witness, who is a principal staff member of the Comptroller General at the NIS. The witness provided the court with several documents, including letters from the EFCC to the NIS and the responses from the NIS, as well as various passports deemed both authentic and fraudulent.

Defense attorneys Tayo Oyetibo SAN, representing Ozekhome, and F. R. Onoja SAN for Useni, did not object to the documents presented but chose to save their remarks for the final written address.

Trial judge Justice Chizoba Oji accepted and marked the presented documents as Exhibits.

During the evidence session led by Oyedepo, the witness asserted that the Nigerian passport numbered A07535463 was not issued by NIS.

"It is not in our database; the passport in question belonging to Tali Shani is fake," he stated.

Akim further revealed that the NIS received letters from the EFCC to verify the authenticity of the passports for Useni and Tali Shani. Upon reviewing the immigration database, it was found that one passport was not issued by the NIS, while Useni’s passport was confirmed as a legitimate document from the service.

This conclusion was communicated to the EFCC by the NIS following their findings.

The witness explained the standard procedure for passport issuance in Nigeria. He indicated that after making an online payment, a record is generated that requires further documentation, including the National Identification Number (NIN).

"The passport data is ultimately encrypted in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, facilitating access to biometric data at international borders. Consequently, every passport processed by the NIS undergoes a systematic verification process before being finalized. The situation with Tali Shani was notably different."

"When searching for the name Tali Shani, we found no record," he confirmed.

Akim also noted that the NIS's system is designed to retrieve personal information and history linked to any given name.

Moreover, the NIS had received a request from the EFCC to investigate a person named Abdulkadir Lawal. However, upon reviewing their records and collaborating with the service’s legal unit, it was determined that no such individual exists.

The NIS checked their findings against the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) to confirm their conclusion, which remained consistent: no record of that name could be found.

During cross-examination by Oyetibo, the witness clarified that he commenced his role as a principal staff officer in December 2023 but had been deployed abroad prior to July 2023. He marked the year 2025 as significant for Nigeria's ICAO upgrade.

He recalled that the initial correspondence received from the EFCC pertained to the inquiry into Abdulkadir Lawal.

Requesting a delay, Oyetibo prompted the court to adjourn. Justice Oji subsequently rescheduled the case to April 15 for continuation of the cross- examination.