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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has filed a criminal charge against Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, over his alleged involvement in a corruption-related scheme linked to a property in London.
The anti-graft agency filed a three-count charge before the Abuja High Court through its Head of the High Profile Prosecution Department, Osuobeni Akponimisingha. The charge, dated January 16, 2026, and marked FCT/HC/CR/010/26, lists Ozekhome as the sole defendant.
According to the first count, the ICPC alleged that Ozekhome, 68, of No. 53 Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, received a property located at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, around August 2021. The commission claimed that the property was purportedly given to him by one Shani Tali and that the act constituted a felony under Section 13, punishable under Section 24 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
In the second count, the senior advocate was accused of making a false document, namely a Nigerian international passport bearing the name “Mr. Shani Tali,” allegedly around the same period. The ICPC stated that the passport, with number A07535463, was created to support a fraudulent claim of ownership of the London property. The alleged offence is said to contravene Section 363 and is punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The third count further alleged that Ozekhome dishonestly used the same passport to support ownership claims over the property despite allegedly knowing that the document was false. The commission said this act violates Section 366 and is also punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code.
Documents attached to the charge include an extra-judicial statement allegedly made by the defendant on January 12, 2026; a judgment referenced as REF/2023/0155 dated September 11, 2025; records of interim forfeiture proceedings concerning the London property; a data page linked to the name “Shani Tali”; a letter dated December 18, 2025; and other supporting materials expected to be tendered in court.
The ICPC also listed several witnesses expected to testify, including investigators Wakili Musa and Tosin Olayiwola, a representative of the Nigerian Immigration Service, and investigators Ebenezer Nduo and Blessing Monokpo, along with any additional witnesses the commission may present. As of the time of filing, the case had not yet been assigned to a trial judge.
The charges stem from an earlier ICPC investigation triggered by a petition submitted by Olanrewaju Suraj, Executive Director of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA). The petition referenced a judgment by a London property tribunal, which allegedly linked Ozekhome and others to forgery and fraudulent ownership claims involving the North London property. The petition further accused the individuals of conspiring with corrupt Nigerian officials to obtain forged identity documents to unlawfully claim ownership of the building.
