Ozekhome
By Iyunade Grace
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 property in question is located at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, and was claimed by Ozekhome as a gift from one Shani Tali in 2021 .
The charges, filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), include giving false information, use of forged documents, and attempting to deceive a public authority. Ozekhome is accused of presenting forged documents, including a Nigerian passport, to support his claim of ownership.
According to court documents, Ozekhome allegedly received the property from Shani Tali, but the UK’s First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) ruled that neither “Mr” nor “Ms” Tali Shani existed, and the documents presented were fake. The tribunal concluded that the real owner of the property was the late Lieutenant-General Jeremiah Useni, who used a false identity.
The ICPC’s three-count charge against Ozekhome includes:
– *Count One*: Receiving the London property, purportedly given by Shani Tali, an act constituting a felony.
– *Count Two*: Making a false document, a Nigerian passport bearing Shani Tali’s name, to support the property claim.
– *Count Three*: Dishonestly using the false passport as genuine to support the property claim.
The federal government has listed several witnesses, including investigators and a representative of the Nigerian Immigration Service. Documents to be tendered include the UK tribunal’s judgment, extra-judicial statements, and passport data .
Ozekhome has appeared before the ICPC to give a written statement, saying he was aware of the UK judgment and had seen the documents. The case is yet to be assigned a trial date.
The dispute involves allegations of corruption and forgery, with the Code of Conduct Bureau also investigating the matter. The London property is part of the late General Useni’s estate, subject to probate.
