The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) will arraign Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Monday, January 26, for alleged involvement in a fraudulent property in London, United Kingdom.
ICPC’s Head of the High Profile Prosecution Department, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, will lead the prosecution.
The commission, which announced this in a notice on Wednesday, said the case “will be transferred from the general cause list to the hearing paper for Monday, the 26th day of January, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
Ozekhome, is listed as the sole defendant, with the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the plaintiff in the case
The notice said if either party wants to postpone the hearing, they must apply to the court promptly and provide evidence if the application is fact-based, adding that parties that wants to enforce witness attendance are required to give reasonable notice.
The SAN faces a three-count charge filed by the ICPC on January 16.
According to the first count, in August 2021, in London, Ozekhome allegedly directly received House 79, Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, purportedly given to him by Mr. Shani Tali, knowing the act constituted a felony, contrary to Section 13 and punishable under Section 24 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The second count states that while acting as a legal practitioner and SAN, Ozekhome created a false Nigerian passport (No. A07535463) bearing Mr. Shani Tali’s name in August 2021 to support a fraudulent claim of ownership of the property at 79 Randall Avenue, contrary to Section 363 and punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code, Laws of the FCT, Abuja.
The third count alleges that Ozekhome dishonestly used the same false passport to substantiate the ownership claim, knowing the document was false, contrary to Section 366 and punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code.
The case was sequel to a petition by the head of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraj to the ICPC
Suraj cited a British court judgment that accused Ozekhome and others of conspiring with corrupt Nigerian officials to procure fake national identity documents to “fraudulently claim ownership” of a property in North London.
The ICPC said it began an investigation after a London property tribunal issued a judgment implicating Ozekhome and others in a web of fraud and forged documents.
