Mike Ozekhome: Passport bearing “Tali Shani” fake, not issued by NIS – EFCC witness

Ozekhome

A prosecution witness, Mr Aridegbe Akim, told an Abuja high court on Friday that a passport bearing the name of “Tali Shani” was not issued by the Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS).

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness said this in his evidence at the opening of the trial of Mike Ozekhome SAN and Ponfa Useni in the alleged London property fraud.

The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF) dragged Ozekhome and Useni to court on a 12-count charge bordering on forgery. The prosecution alleged that the defendants forged
documents, including an international passport and an irrevocable power of attorney to lay claim to a property in London allegedly procured unlawfully by the late General Jeremiah Useni.

Ozekhome and the co-defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

At the resumed hearing, prosecution counsel Rotimi Oyedepo SAN called the first witness, PW1, who is a principal staff member to the Comptroller General of NIS.

Through the witness, several documents were tendered by the prosecution, ranging from EFCC letters to NIS and NIS’s responses to EFCC; in addition, genuine and fake passports.

Tayo Oyetibo SAN, counsel for Ozekhome and F. R. Onoja SAN, for Useni, however, did not object but reserved their comments for the final written address.

The trial judge, Justice Chizoba Oji, admitted the documents and subsequently marked them as exhibits.

Led in evidence by Oyedepo, the witness said the Nigerian passport, A07535463, “was not issued by the NIS.