• SAN, top military officer allegedly involved
• Death certificate, NIN, bank accounts allegedly faked to deceive the court
• One without legitimate title can’t convey such property — Tribunal
At a time Nigeria is battling to redeem its battered image in the comity of nations, a house in North London purchased in 1993 has become the unlikely centrepiece of one of the most sensational property fraud cases ever that’s threatening to sink the country’s image deeper into a quagmire of corruption and national disgrace, JIBRIN NDANUSA writes.
As if to say the battered image Nigeria is currently grappling with is not enough, a recent allegation by Gideon Christian, a lawyer who teaches professional ethics at the Faculty of Law, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has gotten many Nigerians shocked beyond words. This is because the allegation pointed fingers at two of Nigeria’s most recognisable public figures – the late General Jeremiah Useni and legal luminary, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN.
According to the Christian, “a modest house tucked away at 79 Randall Avenue, North London, was purchased in 1993, at the height of General Sani Abacha’s regime, and was registered under the false name “Tali Shani.” Decades later, competing claims over its ownership exposed an astonishing web of forgeries and collusion that implicated political and legal elites on both sides of the Atlantic.”
The tribunal was said to have been asked to determine who truly owned the house. On one side stood Mr. Tali Shani, allegedly presented by Chief Ozekhome as the lawful owner who had transferred the property to him in 2021. On the other stood Ms. Tali Shani, allegedly introduced by Edewor & Co., a Nigerian law firm, through their London solicitor, Kingsley Efemuai, who opposed the transfer. What followed was a courtroom drama of contradictions and fabricated evidence.
According to Ozekhome’s witnesses, “Mr. Tali Shani” claimed to have bought the property as a 20-year-old Nigerian trader who made his fortune selling sweets, mangoes and cattle. He further alleged that he appointed General Useni – then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory – as his property manager. The tribunal found the account absurd, noting the improbability of a herdsman hiring a sitting general to manage a London property.
The rival, Ms. Tali Shani, proved even more extraordinary. Despite being the applicant, she never appeared before the tribunal. Her lawyers filed a slew of documents later discovered to be false, namely, a Nigerian National Identification Number, NIN slip generated in Monaco, a mobile phone bill traced to lawyer Mohammed Edewor, and a death certificate riddled with inconsistencies.
When asked about her absence, her legal team was said to have claimed she was seriously ill; later they announced her sudden death in 2024. The accompanying death certificate even scheduled a funeral on a Sunday, an obvious impossibility. Two men presented as her “son” and “cousin” gave conflicting testimonies that quickly collapsed. One even alleged that the funeral photographer had been “killed by bandits” immediately afterwards.
But it was said to have been discovered that Ms. Shani was a phantom creation by the lawyers as she never existed. When this was exposed, solicitor Efemuai allegedly hastily withdrew from the case, leaving behind what the tribunal described as a “trail of professional embarrassment.”
Attention had then turned to General Useni who allegedly appeared via video link in 2024, shortly before his death, and admitted bluntly that he had purchased the Randall Avenue property in 1993 under the alias “Tali Shani.”
Meanwhile, this was not his first use of a “Shani” identity. In 2022, the Royal Court of Jersey had ordered the forfeiture of £1.9 million from accounts opened by Useni under the name “Tim Shani.” He claimed the name was merely a “coded password,” but the Jersey court ruled otherwise, finding that it was a deliberate attempt to conceal stolen public funds, a connection the London tribunal drew, observing that “Tim Shani” and “Tali Shani” were part of a pattern of deception. It concluded that the false registration was designed to hide illicit wealth and shield Useni’s ownership from scrutiny.
“Most disturbing however, was the alleged role of Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, one of Nigeria’s most celebrated lawyers. In 2021, he applied to register the Randall Avenue property in his own name, claiming it had been gifted to him by “Mr. Tali Shani” as payment for over £500,000 in unpaid legal services.
“Under cross-examination, Ozekhome’s explanations shifted repeatedly. At various points, he described the transfer as a “gift,” “payment in kind,” and even “an exchange for another property.” Yet, he could not produce a single document or correspondence proving he ever rendered legal services to “Shani.” When asked to cite even one case he handled for him, Ozekhome invoked “client confidentiality.
“The tribunal dismissed his account as “contrived and invented.” Evidence showed that Ozekhome had managed the property since at least 2019, collecting rent on behalf of General Useni and holding a power of attorney from “Mr. Shani.” The court ruled that the 2021 transfer was a fraudulent attempt to legitimise an illegal transaction, ordering the Land Registrar to reject his claim,” Barrister Christian had claimed.
“With all claims discredited, the property now languishes in legal limbo. On record, it remains registered to the fictitious Tali Shani. In reality, it belonged to the late General Useni, whose deceit was only unmasked posthumously. Without a lawful claimant, the house may eventually revert to the British Crown as unclaimed property.
“Beyond the courtroom, the case lays bare the deep rot within Nigeria’s political and legal systems. It exposes how politicians channel stolen wealth abroad under false identities, aided by lawyers who fabricate evidence to legitimise corruption.
“Even more disturbing is how easily fake documents were produced in Nigeria — from forged NIN slips and bank records to counterfeit death certificates — all used in a British court. That it took a UK tribunal to uncover the fraud is a scathing indictment of Nigeria’s regulatory and justice institutions,” Christian continued.
Many Nigerians are waiting to see what actions will be taken by the relevant agencies and associations like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC; Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, LPDC, and the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA.
According to a lawyer, Barrister Kolo Samuel, “Honestly I was taken aback when I read about it myself, but it is left for the various disciplinary bodies and anti-graft agencies to conduct an investigation to see the level of involvement of the lawyers and every other person involved, so as to take appropriate actions.
“What shocked me most was how a National Identification Number, NIN as well as Bank Verification Number, BVN can be registered for anybody with a name other than his. Or do we not need the biometrics of every applicant to be captured for these? If so, can anyone be captured twice? This is where I think the federal government as well law enforcement agencies have to be involved because if this on can be pulled through successfully, I can assure you that there are several other cases that have gone unnoticed.”
Attempts to get Chief Mike Ozekhome to respond to these allegations failed as calls to his MTN line (08035—444) didn’t connect or were unanswered. Even a message sent to him wasn’t responded to even though it delivered.
The message had sought his response on the house at 79 Randall Avenue, North London, which was purchased in 1993, by General Jeremiah Useni under the false name Tali Shani, which was later given to him by the said Tali Shani, but which the tribunal allegedly found not to be true.
