The Federal Government has filed a fresh 12-count charge against Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, and Ponfa Useni, also known as Tali Shani, before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, over alleged conspiracy, forgery, personation, and unlawful control of a property in the United Kingdom.
The charge, instituted on Tuesday by the Federal Ministry of Justice on behalf of the government, accuses the defendants of forging a Nigerian passport and other documents to support a claim to a property located at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2.
The late General Jeremiah Useni was named in several counts as an alleged co-conspirator.
According to the charge sheet, the defendants allegedly conspired in 2020 in Abuja to procure a false Nigerian passport, No. A07535463, in the name “Tali Shani,” purportedly issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service. Prosecutors claim the document was intended to support their claim to the London property.
In counts one and two, the government alleged that the defendants agreed to commit an illegal act by forging the passport and subsequently making the false document between May 30, 2020 and 2021, contrary to Sections 96 and 363 of the Penal Code Law 2009, punishable under Section 364.
Count three alleged conspiracy in 2022 to use the forged passport as genuine to facilitate the property claim, while count four accused them of dishonestly using the document as genuine between 2023 and 2025.
Counts five and seven specifically accused Useni of false personation and cheating by personation. The prosecution alleged that on or about May 30, 2020, he falsely presented himself as “Tali Shani,” described as a fictitious person, and executed an irrevocable Power of Attorney in that name in connection with the property.
In counts six and eight, Ozekhome was accused of abetting impersonation and cheating by personation by jointly executing the irrevocable Power of Attorney dated May 30, 2020, with the alleged fictitious identity to facilitate the claim.
Count nine alleged that Ozekhome, sometime in 2022 in Abuja, had under his control the London property, which investigators reasonably suspected was unlawfully obtained using the fictitious name. Count 10 further alleged that he controlled £18,000, said to be rent proceeds from the property, also suspected to have been unlawfully obtained.
In counts 11 and 12, the prosecution alleged that the defendants conspired in 2023 to forge a document titled “Re: Request for Authentication of Nigerian Passport No. A07535463 Belonging to Mr Tali Shani,” dated May 4, 2023, and falsely presented it as a Nigeria Immigration Service document to support their claim.
The offences were said to contravene multiple provisions of the Penal Code Law 2009, including Sections 83, 84, 96, 179, 319A, 321, 322, 363, 364 and 366.
The charge was signed by Oyedepo Iseoluwa Rotimi, SAN, Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, and A.R. Tahir, Chief State Counsel, on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
In an affidavit of completion of investigation deposed to by a litigation officer in the Ministry of Justice, the prosecution stated that investigations had substantially concluded and that a prima facie case had been established against the defendants.
The FCT High Court is expected to fix a date for their arraignment.
