Alleged UK property fraud: Ozekhome faces 12 fresh charges

Ozekhome

The Federal Government of Nigeria has filed a fresh 12-count charge against Chief Mike Ozekhome and Ponfa Useni, also known as Tali Shani, before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, over alleged conspiracy, forgery, impersonation and unlawful control of a property in the United Kingdom.

In the charge instituted by the Federal Ministry of Justice on behalf of the Federal Government on Tuesday, the prosecution accused the defendants of forging a Nigerian International Passport and other documents to support a claim to a property located at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2.

The late former Federal Capital Territory Minister, Gen Jeremiah Useni, was named in several counts as a co-conspirator.

According to the charge, the defendants allegedly conspired in 2020 in Abuja to procure a false Nigerian International Passport No. A07535463 in the name “Tali Shani,” purportedly issued by the Nigerian Immigration Service.

The prosecution alleged that they intended to use the document to support their claim to the London property.

In Counts 1 and 2, 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 and punishable under Section 364.

Count 3 accused them of conspiring in 2022 to use the alleged forged passport as genuine to facilitate their claim to the property, while Count 4 alleged that they dishonestly used the passport as genuine between 2023 and 2025. Punch