Arrest follows striking out of earlier forgery charge as AGF seeks to consolidate probes; fresh 12-count charge alleges use of fake passport and forgery
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Mike Ozekhome in connection with a long-running dispute over a property in London that has become known as the “Tali Shani” affair.
The arrest came shortly after an FCT High Court struck out a three-count forgery charge brought against Ozekhome by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The attorney-general of the federation (AGF) had applied to withdraw the charge to allow time to review and consolidate matters involving multiple investigative agencies.
Sources told this newspaper that Ozekhome was taken into custody by EFCC operatives soon after the charge was struck out. He is expected to be formally charged in court imminently.
The controversy centres on No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX. Proceedings at the UK First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) — case number REF/2023/0155 — named “Tali Shani” as the applicant and Ozekhome as the respondent. Ozekhome has said he received the house as a gift from a “Mr Tali Shani” in 2021. Legal representatives for a “Ms Tali Shani” had countered that she was the rightful owner.
At the tribunal, a witness who identified himself as “Mr Tali Shani” testified for Ozekhome, claiming he had powers of attorney over the property and had transferred it to the SAN. The tribunal, however, found documents tendered by supporters of “Ms Tali Shani” — including an obituary, a National Identity Number record, and an ECOWAS passport — to be fake, and dismissed the competing claims, concluding that neither “Mr” nor “Ms” Tali Shani existed.
Following the tribunal proceedings, the ICPC filed a three-count charge in Abuja on January 16 accusing Ozekhome of knowingly presenting forged documents, including a Nigerian international passport, to support his claim before the London tribunal. The AGF’s office took over the prosecution on January 26; Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel to the AGF, had earlier told the court the matter would be prosecuted “with the highest standard of efficiency, effectiveness, diligence and compliance with due process of law.”
While the three-count charge was struck out to permit consolidation, the federal government filed a fresh 12-count charge at the FCT High Court on Tuesday. The new charge sheet alleges, among other offences, that between May 2020 and 2021 Ozekhome, an individual identified as Ponfa Useni (aka Tali Shani), and the late General Jeremiah Useni made and used a false Nigerian international passport (No. A07535463) bearing the name “Tali Shani” to support a claim to the London property. The counts cite offences under the Penal Code Law 2009, including conspiracy, forgery, personation and cheating.
The charge sheet further alleges that Ozekhome abetted personation and that Ponfa Useni purported to be the fictitious Tali Shani when executing an irrevocable power of attorney dated May 30, 2020 to facilitate the property claim.
Ozekhome could not be reached for comment at the time of filing. The EFCC and the AGF’s office had not issued public statements on the arrest by press time. The matter is expected to return to court shortly.
