ABUJA, Nigeria — The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) has suspended Chief Mike Ozekhome from the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) pending the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings against him.
The decision was announced on Wednesday evening, June 24, 2026, in an official statement issued by Kabir Akanbi, the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court.
Okay News reports that the committee approved the interim suspension during its 173rd general meeting held on June 23, acting pursuant to paragraph 26(6) of the guidelines for the conferment and regulation of the SAN rank. The regulatory body stated that the measure is intended to safeguard the integrity and prestige of the rank while the allegations against the senior lawyer are under formal review.
Ozekhome is currently standing trial alongside Ponfa Useni—son of the late former FCT Minister, Lieutenant-General Jeremiah Useni—before Justice Chizoba Oji of the FCT High Court in Maitama. The duo was arraigned in February on a 12-count charge alleging the use of a forged Nigerian passport in a disputed property case in the United Kingdom. Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the counts and were granted bail in the sum of ₦10 million each.
The underlying criminal case stems from a real estate dispute over a property located at 79 Randall Avenue, London, which was claimed by Ozekhome as a gift. The UK First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) subsequently dismissed all ownership claims related to the asset, ruling that the presented documentation was fake and concluding that the individual identities tied to the dispute did not exist. The LPPC directed that Ozekhome refrain from holding himself out as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria pending the final determination of the matter by its disciplinary and ethics sub-committee.
