FG files fresh 12-count forgery, abetting charges against Ozekhome

2026-02-24 - 18:37

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri ABUJA– The Federal Government, on Tuesday, filed a fresh 12-count charge against a prominent lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, following his alleged complicity in a web of fraud perpetrated in a bid to claim ownership of a disputed property in the United Kingdom. Specifically, Ozekhome, in the charge that was entered before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, was slammed with allegations of forgery and abetment of an offence. FG alleged that sometime in 2020, he agreed with one Ponfa Useni (aka Tali Shani) and General Jeremiah Useni (now deceased) to commit an illegal act by making a false Nigerian International Passport No. A07535463 with the name Tali Shani. It was alleged that the defendant claimed the forged passport was issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service “with the intent of using the same to support your claim of a property, lying, being, and situate at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2, United Kingdom, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 96 of the Penal Code Law 2009 and punishable under section 364 of the same Law.” According to the charge, Ozekhome further abetted the commission of an offence of cheating by personation when he jointly executed an irrevocable power of attorney dated May 30, 2020, with one Tali Shani, “a fictitious person,” to facilitate the claim of the UK property, and thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 83, 84, 321 of the Penal Code Law, 2009, and punishable under section 322 of the same Law. While Count 9 of the charge alleged that he took control of the UK property, which is reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained by General Jeremiah Useni (now deceased) under the fictitious name Tali Shani, he was, in Count 10, alleged to have, within the period, collected the sum of £18,000.00 as rent that accrued from the property. Useni, who was said to have falsely personated a fictitious person (Tali Shani), was cited as the 2nd defendant in the charge that was signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN. The charge came hours after the high court struck out a three-count charge the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) earlier filed against the senior lawyer. Justice Peter Kekemeke struck out the charge after it was withdrawn by the AGF on Tuesday. Meanwhile, some counts in the new charge before the court read: “That you, Chief Mike Agbedor Abu Ozekhome, SAN, Male, Adult of 55 Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, Ponfa Useni (aka Tali Shani), Male, Adult of 12 Dagash M. Street, Kado Estate, Phase 1, Abuja, and General Jeremiah Useni (now deceased), sometime between 2023 and 2025 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, dishonestly used as genuine a false Nigerian International Passport No. A07535463 with the name Tali Shani, and you thereby committed an offence of forgery contrary to Section 366 of the Penal Code Law 2009 and punishable under Section 364 of the same Law.” “That you Ponfa Useni (aka Tali Shani), Male, Adult of 12 Dagash M. Street, Kado Estate, Phase 1, Abuja, on or about the 30th day of May 2020 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court cheated by personation when you pretended to be one Tali Shani, a fictitious person, and with such assumed character executed an Irrevocable Power of Attorney dated the 30th day of May 2020 with Chief Mike A. A. Ozekhome, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 321 of the Penal Code Law 2009 and punishable under section 322 of the same Law.” “That you, Chief Mike Agbedor Abu Ozekhome, SAN, Male, Adult of 55 Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, Ponfa Useni (aka Tali Shani), Male, Adult of 12 Dagash M. Street, Kado Estate, Phase 1, Abuja, and General Jeremiah Useni (now deceased), sometime in the year 2023 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, made a false document titled: RE: REQUEST FOR AUTHENTICATION OF NIGERIAN PASSPORT NO. A07535463 BELONGING TO MR. TALI SHANI dated 4th May 2023 and purported same to have been issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service with the intent of using the same to support your claim to a property located at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2, United Kingdom, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 363 of the Penal Code Law 2009 and punishable under section 364 of the same Law.” No date has been fixed for the defendants to be arraigned.