The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has brought forth criminal charges against Mike Ozekhome, a prominent Senior Advocate of Nigeria, at the Federal High Court in Abuja. These charges are related to allegations that he obtained property through corrupt means and employed forged documentation.
These charges, lodged on January 16 by Ngozi Onwuka of the ICPC’s High Profile Prosecution Department, stem from a controversial September 2025 ruling by a London property tribunal that associated the 68-year-old attorney with "fraud and forgery" concerning a case involving a North London residence.
Court documents reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES indicate that Mr. Ozekhome is facing three distinct criminal charges.
The initial charge states that in August 2021, he received a house at 79 Randall Avenue, London, which he allegedly acquired from Shani Tali as part of a deal categorized by the ICPC as a felony under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The second count asserts that Ozekhome created a counterfeit document, specifically a Nigerian passport numbered A07535463 in the name of Shani Tali, to substantiate his claim of ownership of the London property. This charge falls under the Penal Code of the Federal Capital Territory.
The third count alleges that Ozekhome proceeded to "dishonestly" utilize the allegedly fraudulent passport as if it were authentic to substantiate his claim of property ownership, despite being aware of its questionable validity.
PREMIUM TIMES previously reported that Judge Ewan Paton from the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) delivered a decision on September 11, 2025, preventing Mr. Ozekhome from taking possession of the house in North London.
The tribunal concluded that the case presented was underlined by a network of fraud, impersonation, and forged documentation, ultimately confirming that the deceased Jeremiah Useni, formerly the Minister of FCT, was the legitimate buyer of the property back in 1993.
In August 2021, Mr. Ozekhome submitted a request through the tribunal to have the property at 79 Randall Avenue transferred to his name, claiming that it was a gift from a man presenting himself as Tali Shani in gratitude for legal services rendered.
However, in September 2022, Westfields Solicitors contested this application, asserting they represented "Ms. Tali Shani," who claimed that she had been the registered owner since 1993 and never consented to any transfer.
The tribunal also unveiled fraudulent Nigerian identity documents, which included a passport, National Identification Number (NIN), and Tax Identification Number (TIN) that were allegedly generated in collaboration with corrupt officials from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the Immigration Service, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
NIMC acknowledged in court that the NIN allocated to "Ms. Tali Shani" was created fraudulently from Monaco, using a falsified image and bypassing biometric protocols. The Nigeria Police Force also verified that the address supporting the fraudulent phone bill was fictitious.
Judge Paton expressed that the supposed Ms. Shani "was never a real living person," and stated that her identity documents were intentionally fabricated with assistance from corrupt Nigerian officials. "The entire case was built on forgery and deception," declared the judge, while ruling that the property continued to belong to Mr. Useni’s estate, which is currently in probate.
In a letter addressed to the ICPC, the Nigeria Immigration Service confirmed that passport booklet number A07535463 had not been utilized due to a defect and thus had no record of a holder in its system.
The agency also highlighted initial findings that suggested the passport contained personal information "unlawfully superimposed on it with numerous inconsistencies on the data page, indicating serious irregularities in its production."
The ICPC's investigation was reportedly initiated following a petition from Olanrewaju Suraj, the head of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), which accused Mr. Ozekhome, his son Osilama, and several accomplices of conspiring with corrupt Nigerian officials to obtain fraudulent national identity documents as part of their scheme to deceptively claim ownership of the North London property.
The ICPC has called upon individuals identified in the UK ruling to come forward for questioning. Mr. Ozekhome had appeared before the commission on January 12 to provide a written statement.
In his ICPC statement, Mr. Ozekhome acknowledged being aware of the ruling handed down by the UK’s First Tier Tribunal. He noted that his application concerning the transfer of the property had been made with the involvement of Mr. Tali Shani through the H.M. Lands Registry UK. He further declared that he had adequately explained the circumstances surrounding his title to the property to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), with a comprehensive investigation already in process.
His assertion of ownership, he explained, had been since 2021. He mentioned that all evidence pertaining to Mr. Tali Shani and himself could be substantiated by the judgment documents.
In the UK court proceedings, Mr. Ozekhome conceded to never having known Mr. Shani prior to January 2019, over two decades following the acquisition of the property, and lacked any personal insight into how it had been procured or handled in the preceding years.
His belief in his ownership of the property was majorly reinforced by a lengthy friendship with Mr. Useni, whom he described as a client and close associate for more than 20 years.
The Nigerian lawyer informed the tribunal that following his introduction to Mr. Shani in 2019, he rendered various legal services for him, and the property was subsequently given to him in 2021 as a gesture of appreciation.
Judge Paton established that the property was secretly purchased in 1993 by the late Mr. Useni using a false identity. Mr. Useni, who passed away in France in January 2025, was a powerful figure within the Sani Abacha regime and was considered as a potential head of state following Abacha's demise in 1998.
Before his passing, Mr. Useni had participated in the court proceedings via a video link in 2024, and contrary to Mr. Ozekhome’s representations, he clearly stated: "I owned it. I bought the property. It is my property."
Documentation provided to the tribunal confirmed that the acquisition was made under a pseudonym, "Philips Bincan," consistent with findings from the Royal Court of Jersey in a separate case in 2022 that revealed Mr. Useni’s use of aliases like "Tim Shani" to obscure his wealth.
Consequently, the tribunal determined that since Mr. Shani lacked legal ownership, he could not have assigned the property to Mr. Ozekhome. The judge reiterated that the ownership of the estate resides with whoever secures probate over Mr. Useni’s estate in England.
The tribunal remarked that Mr. Ozekhome’s defense, supported by his son, was merely a "contrived story… fabricated to offer a plausible rationale" for the transfer executed in 2021.
Ultimately, the tribunal concluded that Mr. Shani had no affiliation with the purchase made in 1993.
At the Federal High Court, the ICPC has listed a total of six witnesses, including its investigators, Joshua Wakili, Tosin Olayiwola, Ebenezer Nduo, and Blessing Monopo, along with a representative from the Nigeria Immigration Service, with potential additional witnesses to be summoned or listed further.
Earlier, PREMIUM TIMES disclosed that the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, acknowledged that his office had begun a review of this case, labeling the London verdict as a pressing issue concerning the integrity of the Nigerian legal system.
The AGF noted, "It would be a disservice not to bring such a serious development to the attention of my colleagues, in hopes of an immediate response." He also called upon the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) to lend their assistance to his office.
The NBA’s Anti-Corruption Committee, chaired by Babafemi Badejo, has expressed support for the AGF’s call for action following a statement in October. The committee pushed for a thorough investigation into the alleged forgery of passports, NINs, and utility documents associated with the London matter and demanded accountability from both public servants and lawyers implicated.
"Investigations should culminate in the criminal prosecution of civil servants who collaborated with attorneys to sully Nigeria's reputation," the committee stated.
Furthermore, they cautioned that this issue shouldn't be brushed aside once media interest diminishes, stressing that "the credibility and long-term sustainability of Nigeria's legal framework are at stake."
PREMIUM TIMES has also reported that the Code of Conduct Bureau is currently probing the matter and has obtained a forfeiture order from a Nigerian court concerning the London asset.
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