BREAKING: FG Hits Ozekhome, Others With Fresh 12-Count Charge

The Federal Government has filed a fresh 12-count criminal charge before the Federal Capital Territory High Court against Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome, and one Ponfa Useni (aka Tali Shani), for alleged forgery of a Nigerian passport to claim a London property.

This comes hours after Ozekhome’s camp celebrated FG’s withdrawal of a previous charge instituted against the lawyer by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

A statement signed by Ozekhome’s counsel, Ejiofor Bar, on Tuesday, declared: “Today, the most unfounded and manifestly frivolous charge instituted against Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), was formally withdrawn by the learned Attorney-General of the Federation through the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation.”

But the new charge, filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Oyedepo Rotimi, and Chief State Counsel A.R. Tahir, accused Ozekhome, Ponfa Useni, and the late General Jeremiah Useni of conspiring to fabricate a fictional identity known as Tali Shania and forging documents to fraudulently claim ownership of a property at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2, United Kingdom.

The first four counts relate to a fake Nigerian International Passport bearing the name Tali Shani, with Passport No. A07535463.

In Count 1, the prosecution alleged that the defendants, sometime 2020, conspired to create a fake Nigerian passport in the name “Tali Shani” to support a claim over a London property.

Count 2 borders on the alleged actual act of making that fake passport while count 3 involves alleged conspiracy by the defendants to use the fake passport as a genuine document. Count 4 is on the alleged dishonest use of the document.

The remaining charges read, “That you Ponfa Useni (aka Tali Shani), Male, Adult of 12 Dagash M. Street, Kado Estate, Phase 1, Abuja on or about the 30th day of May,2020 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court falsely personated Tani Shani, a fictitious person and with such assumed character made a Power of Attorney wherein you held yourself out as Tali Shani and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 179 of the Penal Code Law 2009 and punishable under the same section of the same Law.

“That you, Chief Mike Agbedor Abu Ozekhome, SAN, Male, Adult of 55 Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, sometime in 2020 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, abetted the commission of an offence to wit: personation of one Tali Shani by Ponfa Useni who with such assumed false character made and executed with you as a party, an Irrevocable Power of Attorney dated the 30th day of May,2020 to facilitate your claim of a property lying, being and situate at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2, United Kingdom and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 83, 84 of the Penal Code Law, 2009 and punishable under section 179 of the same Law.

“That you Ponfa Useni (aka Tali Shani), Male, Adult of 12 Dagash M. Street, Kado Estate, Phase 1, Abuja on or about the 30th day of May,2020 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court cheated by personation when you pretended to be one Tali Shani, a fictitious person and with such assumed character executed an Irrevocable Power of Attorney dated the 30th day of May,2020 with Chief Mike. A.A Ozekhome, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 321 of the Penal Code Law 2009 and punishable under section 322 of the same section of the same Law.

“That you, Chief Mike Agbedor Abu Ozekhome, SAN, Male, Adult of 55 Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, sometime in 2022 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, abetted the commission of an offence to wit: cheating by personation when you jointly executed an irrevocable power of Attorney dated the 30th day of May,2020 with one Tali Shani, a fictitious person to facilitate your claim of a property lying, being and situate at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2, United Kingdom and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 83, 84, 321 of the Penal Code Law, 2009 and punishable under section 322 of the same Law.

“That you, Chief Mike Agbedor Abu Ozekhome, SAN, Male, Adult of 55 Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, sometime in 2022 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, had under your control a property lying, being and situate at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2, United Kingdom which property is reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained by General Jeremiah Useni (now deceased) with a fictious name Tali Shani, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 319A of the Penal Code Law, 2009.

“That you, Chief Mike Agbedor Abu Ozekhome, SAN, Male, Adult of 55 Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, sometime in 2022 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, had under your control the sum of Eighteen Thousand Pounds Sterling being part of the rent accrued from a property lying, being and situate at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2, United Kingdom which property is reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained by General Jeremiah Useni (now deceased) with a fictious name Tali Shani, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 319A of the Penal Code Law, 2009.

“That you, Chief Mike Agbedor Abu Ozekhome, SAN, Male, Adult of 55 Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, Ponfa Useni (aka Tali Shani), Male, Adult of 12 Dagash M. Street, Kado Estate, Phase 1, Abuja and General Jeremiah Useni (now deceased), sometimes in the year 2023 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, agreed amongst yourselves to cause to be done an illegal act, to wit: making a false document titled: RE: REQUEST FOR AUTHENTICATION OF NIGERIAN PASSPORT NO. A07535463 BELONGING TO MR. TALI SHANI dated 4th May,2023 and purported same to have been issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service with the intent of using the same to support your claim of a property, lying, being and situate at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2, United Kingdom, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 96 of the Penal Code Law 2009 and punishable under section 364 of the same Law.

“That you, Chief Mike Agbedor Abu Ozekhome, SAN, Male, Adult of 55 Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, Ponfa Useni (aka Tali Shani), Male, Adult of 12 Dagash M. Street, Kado Estate, Phase 1, Abuja, and General Jeremiah Useni (now deceased), sometimes in the year 2023 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, made a false document titled: RE: REQUEST FOR AUTHENTICATION OF NIGERIAN PASSPORT NO. A07535463 BELONGING TO MR. TALI SHANI dated 4th May,2023 and purported same to have been issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service with the intent of using the same to support your claim to a property located at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2, United Kingdom, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 363 of the Penal Code Law 2009 and punishable under section 364 of the same Law.”