…Suit re-echoes AljazirahNigeria’s exposé
By Jibrin Ndanusa
Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has instituted a criminal proceeding against Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) over alleged fraud linked to a residential property in London, reigniting scrutiny of high-profile overseas asset acquisitions by prominent Nigerians.
In a three-count charge filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, the anti-graft agency accused the senior advocate of complicity in a large-scale corruption scheme involving a property at 79, Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX. The charge, marked FCT/HC/CR/010/26 and dated January 16, 2026, names Ozekhome as the sole defendant.
According to the ICPC, the charge was filed by its Head of High Profile Prosecution, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, and was sighted yesterday. The case has yet to be assigned to a judge.
In count one, the Commission alleged that Ozekhome, 68, of 53 Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, sometime in August 2021 in London, directly received the property from one Shani Tali, knowing that the transaction constituted a felony. The offence is said to be contrary to Section 13 and punishable under Section 24 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
Count two accused the senior lawyer, while acting as a legal practitioner and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, of forging a Nigerian passport in the name of Shani Tali with the intent to use it to support ownership claims over the London property. The Commission said this contravene Sections 363 and 364 of the Penal Code applicable in the FCT.
In count three, Ozekhome was further alleged to have dishonestly used the same passport as genuine, despite knowing or having reason to believe it was false, to advance claims over the property. This, the ICPC said, is contrary to Section 366 and punishable under Section 364 of the same Penal Code.
Listed among the exhibits are a judgment referenced as REF/2023/0155 dated September 11, 2025; an extra-judicial statement by the defendant dated January 12, 2026; documents relating to interim forfeiture proceedings over the London property at the Federal High Court; a letter dated December 18, 2025; and the data page of Shani Tali, alongside other materials still being awaited.
The prosecution listed Wakili Musa and Tosin Olayiwola, both ICPC investigators, as witnesses. Others include a representative of the Nigerian Immigration Service, as well as Ebenezer Nduo and Blessing Monokpo, also investigators, with provision for additional witnesses to be summoned by subpoena.
The development recalls an earlier investigation by AljazirahNigeria Newspapers, which in its October 11–12 weekend edition, headlined “CORRUPTION! Prominent Nigerians in London Property Scandal”, exposed alleged irregularities involving Chief Ozekhome, the late General J.T. Useni and others. The report alleged that forged death certificates, National Identification Number, NIN,and bank accounts linked to a Bank Verification Number, BVN, were deployed to mislead a British court.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior lawyer said he was “profoundly taken aback” when his attention was first drawn to AljazirahNigeria’s report in October last year, adding that he subsequently encountered the same allegations across several online platforms.
He observed that one of the fundamental reasons corruption had become institutionalised in the country was the unfortunate reality that persons ordinarily presumed to be beyond reproach, members of the Bar and Bench, law enforcement agencies, security operatives, as well as religious and traditional authorities had themselves become deeply compromised.
Describing the ICPC’s intervention as a decisive litmus test for Nigeria’s justice system, he said the matter had already inflicted serious reputational damage on the country. “This prosecution”, he noted, “will ultimately determine whether the nation’s judicial elite still possess the moral and institutional capacity to redeem the integrity of our legal order”.
With formal charges now filed, the case is expected to test both the strength of Nigeria’s anti-corruption institutions and the resolve of the justice system to hold even its most eminent professionals to account.
