The Federal Government has filed a fresh 12-count criminal charge against a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, and one Ponfa Useni, also known as Tali Shani, over an alleged conspiracy involving forgery, personation and unlawful control of a property in the United Kingdom.
The charge, instituted before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, was filed by the Federal Ministry of Justice on behalf of the Federal Government.
In the fresh counts, the prosecution alleged that the defendants forged a Nigerian passport and other supporting documents to back a claim to a property located at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2.
The late General Jeremiah Useni was listed in several counts as a co-conspirator.
According to the charge, the defendants allegedly conspired in 2020 in Abuja to procure a false Nigerian passport with No. A07535463 in the name “Tali Shani,” purportedly issued by the Nigerian Immigration Service.
The prosecution claimed the passport was intended to support a claim to the London property.
In counts one and two, the government accused the defendants of agreeing to commit an illegal act by forging the passport between May 30, 2020 and 2021, contrary to Sections 96 and 363 of the Penal Code Law 2009 and punishable under Section 364.
Count three alleged that they conspired 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.
Alleged Impersonation, Power of Attorney
In counts five and seven, the prosecution accused Useni of false personation and cheating by personation.
It alleged that on or about May 30, 2020, Useni 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 claim.
Ozekhome, in counts six and eight, was accused of abetting the alleged offences of impersonation and cheating by personation by jointly executing the irrevocable Power of Attorney dated May 30, 2020, with the purported fictitious person to facilitate the claim.
Count nine further alleged that Ozekhome, sometime in 2022 in Abuja, had under his control the property at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London, which investigators reasonably suspected was unlawfully obtained by the late Useni using the fictitious identity.
In count 10, the government alleged that the senior lawyer had under his control £18,000 said to be part of rent accrued from the London property, which investigators also suspected to be unlawfully obtained.
The prosecution, in counts 11 and 12, 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 having been issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service to strengthen their claim.
The offences were said to contravene Sections 83, 84, 96, 179, 319A, 321, 322, 363, 364 and 366 of the Penal Code Law 2009.
The charge was signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Oyedepo Iseoluwa Rotimi (SAN), and A.R. Tahir, Chief State Counsel, on behalf of the Attorney-Genera mml of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
In an affidavit deposed to by a litigation officer in the Federal Ministry of Justice, the prosecution stated that investigations had been 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.
Efforts to obtain reactions from the defendants as of press time were unsuccessful.
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