By Ayo Kehinde
The Federal Government has filed a three-count criminal charge against Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, over alleged forgery and the use of false documents related to a disputed property in the United Kingdom.
Ozekhome is being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), according to court documents obtained on Sunday, January 18, 2026.
The charge was filed on Friday before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja by the ICPC Head of High Profile Prosecution Department, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, and Assistant Chief Legal Officer, Ngozi Onwuka, on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi.
According to the prosecution, the senior lawyer allegedly presented forged documents, including a Nigerian passport, to support a claim of ownership for a property located at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London.
The alleged offences were committed in August 2021, spanning both London and the Maitama area of Abuja.
The charge sheet lists three counts involving the receipt of property believed to be proceeds of a felony, making a false document, and dishonestly using a forged document as genuine. In the first count, Ozekhome is accused of receiving the London property from one Mr. Shani Tali, an act the ICPC alleges he knew constituted a felony.
The second count alleges he made a false Nigerian passport in the name of Mr. Shani Tali to support his ownership claim, while the third count accuses him of dishonestly using the forged passport as genuine.
The Federal Government intends to call several witnesses, including ICPC investigators and representatives from the Nigerian Immigration Service.
Evidence to be tendered includes the judgment of the London First-Tier Tribunal and various extra-judicial statements. A trial date has not yet been fixed.
The charges stem from a long-running property dispute in the UK involving Ozekhome and the late former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Jeremiah Useni.
While Ozekhome claimed he received the property as a gift from a Mr. Tali Shani in 2021, the London tribunal eventually dismissed all competing claims.
The tribunal ruled that neither Mr. nor Ms. Tali Shani existed and concluded that the actual owner of the property was the late Jeremiah Useni.
