Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has assumed control of a criminal case filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against senior lawyer Mike Ozekhome (SAN), stalling his scheduled arraignment on forgery charges.
Mike Ozekhome
At the Federal Capital Territory High Court session, Director of Public Prosecutions Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) appeared for the AGF and invoked Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution to notify the court of the takeover from the ICPC.
ICPC counsel Osuebeni Akpomisingha raised no objections, nor did Ozekhome’s defence team, led by former AGF Kanu Agabi (SAN) with 15 other Senior Advocates of Nigeria.
Presiding Judge Peter Kekemeke granted an adjournment application by Oyedepo, rescheduling the arraignment for February 24.
The charges stem from a protracted dispute over a London property at 79 Randall Avenue, NW2 7SX, tied to the late former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Lt.-Gen. Jeremiah Useni (retd.). On January 26, the Federal High Court in Abuja proceeded with final forfeiture after no one from Useni’s estate challenged a Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) ex parte application within the required 14 days.
The CCB had alleged in late 2025 that the property derived from unlawful proceeds. Justice Binta Nyako granted an interim forfeiture order on November 28, directing national newspaper publication for claims. None materialized convincingly.
Ozekhome claimed he received the property as a 2021 gift from “Mr Tali Shani,” backed by a witness asserting power of attorney and ownership since 1993, with Useni as manager.
Counter-claims from “Ms Tali Shani” included documents like an obituary, NIN card, ECOWAS passport, and phone number, all ruled fake by the UK First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) under ref/2023/0155, dismissing all parties as non-existent.
