The Nigerian federal government has filed fresh criminal charges against Mike Ozekhome, a prominent Senior Advocate of Nigeria, accusing him of utilizing a forged international passport to claim ownership of a disputed property in the United Kingdom. The 12-count charge was formally presented before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.
Okay News reports that the case also implicates Ponfa Useni, the son of Nigeria’s late former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Jeremiah Useni. According to the charge sheet, Ponfa allegedly impersonated a fictitious individual named “Tali Shani” to execute an irrevocable power of attorney in May 2020. Prosecutors allege that this fabricated identity and a fake Nigerian passport were intentionally used to help Ozekhome secure a residential property located at 79 Randall Avenue in London.
The legal escalation follows a complex international ownership dispute over the London real estate. During previous tribunal hearings in the United Kingdom, a woman identified as Ms. Tali Shani claimed rightful ownership of the house, while Ozekhome maintained that a Mr. Tali Shani had legally gifted him the property in 2021. The Nigerian government now asserts that the male “Tali Shani” who testified and transferred the property to the senior lawyer was actually Ponfa Useni operating under an assumed identity.
This development marks a renewed prosecutorial push by the office of Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, which took over the case in late January. An earlier three-count forgery charge filed against the senior lawyer by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) was recently struck out to allow for these expanded federal charges. Government prosecutors have vowed to pursue the new trial with strict adherence to the rule of law as the defendants prepare to answer the allegations in court.
