ICPC files criminal charge against Mike Ozekhome over alleged UK property fraud
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has filed a **criminal charge against Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN (Senior Advocate of Nigeria) over alleged fraud and forgery linked to a disputed property in the United Kingdom, marking a major development in a long-running legal controversy involving the senior lawyer.
The ICPC filed a three-count criminal charge against Ozekhome at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja, with proceedings formally instituted on January 16, 2026. The charges were filed by the commission’s prosecution team on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation, and form the basis of a case now before the court.
According to the charge sheet, Ozekhome is accused of receiving a London property located at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX from one “Mr. Shani Tali” in August 2021, in a transaction the ICPC says he knew was a felony under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000. In what forms the second count, prosecutors allege that Ozekhome forged a Nigerian passport in the name of Shani Tali and created a false document with the intent of supporting a claim of ownership over the London property. The third count accuses him of dishonestly using the allegedly forged passport as though it were genuine while knowing it was false, to support the same property claim.
The alleged offences are said to have occurred partly in London and partly in Maitama, Abuja, placing them within the jurisdiction of the Nigerian court. Prosecutors plan to call investigators from the ICPC and a representative of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) as part of their evidence, along with documents including a London tribunal judgment that previously dismissed Ozekhome’s claim to the property. A trial date is yet to be fixed.
The charge follows a petition from a civil society organisation and a UK property tribunal ruling in September 2025 that held the disputed property belonged to the estate of the late Lieutenant-General Jeremiah Useni, rejecting earlier claims by Ozekhome. The case has drawn significant public interest given Ozekhome’s prominence as a senior lawyer in Nigeria.
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