Nigeria’s ICPC has filed criminal charges against Senior Advocate Mike Ozekhome over alleged corrupt acquisition of a London property and use of forged documents, following a UK tribunal judgment
ICPC Files Criminal Charges Against Mike Ozekhome, SAN, Over Alleged Corrupt Property Deal and Forged Documents
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has filed criminal charges against Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mike Ozekhome, before the Federal High Court in Abuja, over allegations bordering on corrupt property acquisition and the use of forged documents.
The charges, filed on January 16, 2026, by Ngozi Onwuka of the ICPC’s High Profile Prosecution Department, stem from findings linked to a September 2025 judgment of a London property tribunal, which described a claim associated with the senior lawyer as being built on “fraud and forged documents.”
According to reports available to newsheadline247,Mr Ozekhome is facing three criminal counts, all connected to a disputed residential property located at 79 Randall Avenue, North London.
According to the prosecution, the first count alleges that in August 2021, Mr Ozekhome directly received the London property from an individual identified as Shani Tali, in what the ICPC says constitutes a felony under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The second count accuses the lawyer of making a false document, specifically a Nigerian international passport bearing number A07535463 in the name of Mr Shani Tali, allegedly created to support a claim of ownership of the London property. This charge is brought under the Penal Code applicable in the Federal Capital Territory.
In the third count, Mr Ozekhome is accused of dishonestly using the allegedly forged passport as genuine, despite having reason to believe it was false, in furtherance of his claim to the property.
The criminal case follows a damning ruling delivered on September 11, 2025, by Judge Ewan Paton of the UK First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), which blocked Mr Ozekhome from taking possession of the house. The tribunal concluded that the case before it rested on a web of fraud, impersonation and forged identity documents, while affirming that the late Jeremiah Useni, former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, was the genuine purchaser of the property in 1993.
Mr Ozekhome had approached the UK tribunal in August 2021, seeking to transfer the property into his name, claiming it was gifted to him by a man who presented himself as Tali Shani, purportedly in appreciation for legal services.
However, the application was challenged in September 2022 by Westfields Solicitors, acting for a woman also identifying herself as Tali Shani, who insisted she had been the registered owner of the property since 1993 and had never authorised any transfer.
In the course of proceedings, the London tribunal uncovered evidence of fraudulently generated Nigerian identity records, including a passport, National Identification Number (NIN), and Tax Identification Number (TIN). These documents were allegedly produced with the connivance of corrupt officials within the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the Nigeria Immigration Service, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
NIMC admitted before the tribunal that the NIN assigned to “Ms Tali Shani” had been fraudulently created remotely from Monaco, using a forged photograph and bypassing biometric requirements. The Nigeria Police Force also confirmed that the address used to support a related utility bill was fictitious.
Judge Paton concluded that the supposed Ms Shani “was never a real living person” and that her identity documents were deliberately fabricated. “The entire case was built on forgery and deception,” the judge ruled, adding that the property formed part of Mr Useni’s estate and was now subject to probate.
In a letter submitted to the ICPC, the Nigeria Immigration Service further confirmed that passport booklet number A07535463 was never lawfully issued. The agency said the booklet had a production defect and showed signs of personal data being unlawfully superimposed, with “numerous inconsistencies” on the data page.
The ICPC investigation was triggered by a petition from Olanrewaju Suraj, chairman of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), who accused Mr Ozekhome, his son Osilama, and others of conspiring with corrupt public officials to fabricate national identity documents.
“These findings reveal a grave conspiracy not only by senior and respected members of the Nigerian Bar but also by unknown Nigerian public officials,” the petition stated, warning that such acts undermine the integrity of Nigeria’s identity systems.
Mr Ozekhome appeared before the ICPC on January 12, where he gave a written statement acknowledging awareness of the UK tribunal’s judgment. “I have seen the judgment now shown to me,” he said, adding that issues surrounding the property had previously been explained to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He maintained that his claim to the property dated back to 2021 and said the evidence surrounding Mr Tali Shani was contained in the tribunal’s ruling.
In the UK proceedings, Mr Ozekhome admitted he did not know Mr Shani until 2019, decades after the property was purchased, and relied largely on his long-standing relationship with Mr Useni, whom he described as a client and friend of over 20 years.
Before his death in January 2025, Mr Useni appeared before the tribunal via video link and stated plainly: “I owned it. I bought the property. It is my property.”
The tribunal found that the house had been secretly acquired under a false identity in 1993, consistent with earlier findings by the Royal Court of Jersey, which exposed Mr Useni’s use of coded names to conceal assets.
At the Federal High Court, the ICPC listed six witnesses, including its investigators and officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service. The Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, has also ordered a review of the case, describing the UK judgment as one that “bears sadly on the integrity of the Nigerian legal profession.”
The Nigerian Bar Association and the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria have been urged to cooperate with investigators, as the Code of Conduct Bureau is also reportedly probing the matter and has secured a forfeiture order over the London property.
