FG slams fresh 12-count charge on Ozekhome, Useni’s son over alleged forgery, London property dispute

The Federal Government has instituted a fresh 12-count criminal charge against Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, and Ponfa Useni, also known as Tali Shani, over alleged forgery, impersonation and unlawful control of a property located in the United Kingdom.

The charges were filed before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja by the Federal Ministry of Justice on behalf of the government.

According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly conspired to forge a Nigerian passport and other documents to support a disputed ownership claim to a property at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2.

The late former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Lt.-Gen. Jeremiah Useni (retd.), was listed in several counts as an alleged co-conspirator.

Court documents indicated that the alleged offences began in 2020 when the defendants were said to have conspired in Abuja to procure a Nigerian passport bearing number A07535463 in the name “Tali Shani,” purportedly issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service. Prosecutors alleged the passport was intended to support their claim to the London property.

The Federal Government accused the defendants of forging the passport between May 2020 and 2021 and later using it as a genuine document between 2023 and 2025 to pursue the property claim.

Ponfa Useni was specifically accused of false personation and cheating by impersonation after allegedly presenting himself as “Tali Shani,” described by investigators as a fictitious identity. He was also accused of executing an irrevocable power of attorney in that name in connection with the disputed property.

Ozekhome was accused of aiding the alleged impersonation by jointly executing the power of attorney dated May 30, 2020, with the person presented as Tali Shani.

The prosecution further alleged that Ozekhome had control of the London property in 2022 despite suspicions that it was unlawfully acquired through the alleged fictitious identity. He was also accused of controlling £18,000 believed to be rent proceeds from the property, which investigators suspect were unlawfully obtained.

The government additionally alleged that the defendants conspired in 2023 to forge a document requesting authentication of the disputed passport and falsely presented it as an official communication from the Nigeria Immigration Service.

The charges, which cite several provisions of the Penal Code Law 2009, were signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Oyedepo Iseoluwa Rotimi (SAN), and Chief State Counsel A.R. Tahir on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

In an affidavit accompanying the charge, a litigation officer in the Ministry of Justice stated that investigations into the matter had been largely concluded and that sufficient evidence existed to prosecute the defendants.

The FCT High Court is expected to fix a date for their arraignment.