A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Maitama has struck out the forgery charge filed against senior advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, following the withdrawal of the case by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
The charge was initially filed on January 16 by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which accused Ozekhome in a three-count charge bordering on alleged forgery.
However, on January 26, the Office of the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation took over the prosecution of the case.
At the previous adjourned date, Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel representing the AGF, had assured the court that the matter would be prosecuted with “the highest standard of efficiency, effectiveness, diligence and compliance with due process of law.”
But when the matter came up on Tuesday for arraignment, Oyedepo moved an application seeking to withdraw the charge. He told the court that the AGF’s office required additional time to review and consolidate issues arising from the case, particularly as they involved different investigative agencies.
According to him, the review would enable the prosecution to strengthen its case. Following the application, the presiding judge, Peter Kekemek, struck out the charge.
Ozekhome had been accused of knowingly presenting forged documents, including a Nigerian international passport, to support his claim of ownership of a property located at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, during proceedings before the UK First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).
The alleged offences were said to have been committed in August 2021 in the Maitama area of Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the FCT High Court.
The disputed property was the subject of proceedings before the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Land Registration in the United Kingdom under case number REF/2023/0155. The dispute involved claims by “Ms Tali Shani” and Ozekhome over ownership of the London property.
Ozekhome had maintained that he received the property as a gift in 2021 from “Mr Tali Shani.” In contrast, lawyers representing “Ms Tali Shani” insisted that she was the rightful owner.
During the UK tribunal proceedings, a witness identified as “Mr Tali Shani” testified in Ozekhome’s favour, claiming he held powers of attorney over the property and had transferred it to the senior lawyer. He asserted that he had owned the property since 1993 and later appointed the late Jeremiah Useni, a retired lieutenant-general, as his property manager, describing him as an elder friend and business partner.
On the other hand, witnesses for “Ms Tali Shani” tendered several documents — including an obituary announcement, National Identification Number (NIN) card, ECOWAS passport and phone number — to establish ownership.
However, the UK tribunal found the documents presented in support of “Ms Tali Shani” to be fake and ultimately dismissed all claims. The tribunal ruled that neither “Mr” nor “Ms” Tali Shani existed and held that the true owner of the property, operating under a false name, was the late Useni.