The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has assumed control of the criminal case brought by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against senior lawyer Mike Ozekhome (SAN).
The takeover delayed Ozekhome’s scheduled arraignment before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, where he was to face a three-count charge, including allegations of forgery.
At the court proceedings, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), appeared on behalf of the Attorney General and informed the court that the AGF had decided to take over the prosecution from the ICPC, exercising powers granted under Section 174 of the Nigerian Constitution.
Counsel for the ICPC, Osuebeni Akpomisingha, did not object to the takeover. Similarly, Ozekhome’s defence team, led by former Attorney General of the Federation Kanu Agabi (SAN) and comprising 15 Senior Advocates of Nigeria, raised no opposition.
Following an adjournment request by Oyedepo, which was also unopposed, Justice Peter Kekemeke rescheduled the arraignment to February 24.
The case stems from a long-standing property dispute involving a London property linked to the late former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Jeremiah Useni. The Federal High Court in Abuja had originally set January 26 to rule on the final forfeiture of the property after no individual or representative of Useni’s estate appeared within the statutory 14-day period to contest the forfeiture to the Federal Government.
The forfeiture proceedings began with an ex parte application filed by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) in late 2025, seeking an interim forfeiture and preservation order. The bureau claimed the property was acquired with proceeds of unlawful activity. On November 28, Justice Binta Nyako granted the interim order and directed the CCB to advertise it nationally, allowing any interested party to establish legitimate ownership.
The disputed property, located at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, has also been the subject of proceedings before the UK First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Land Registration, under case reference ref/2023/0155. In those proceedings, Tali Shani was listed as the applicant and Ozekhome as the respondent.
Conflicting claims were made over ownership. Ozekhome asserted that the house was a gift from “Mr Tali Shani” in 2021. Lawyers representing “Ms Tali Shani” maintained she was the rightful owner. A witness identified as “Mr Tali Shani” testified in support of Ozekhome, claiming he held powers of attorney over the property and had transferred it to the lawyer. He also stated that he had owned the property since 1993 and later appointed Useni as his property manager.
Witnesses for “Ms Tali Shani” submitted documents including an obituary, a National Identification Number card, an ECOWAS passport, and a phone number to support her ownership claim. However, the UK tribunal found the documents to be fraudulent and dismissed all claims, ruling that neither “Mr” nor “Ms” Tali Shani existed.
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