The Federal Government of Nigeria on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, filed a fresh 12-count charge against Chief Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and Ponfa Useni, also known as Tali Shani, before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja over allegations bordering on conspiracy, forgery, personation and unlawful control of a property in the United Kingdom.
The late Lieutenant General Jeremiah Useni (retd) was also named in several counts as a co-conspirator.
The 12-count charge was instituted by the Federal Ministry of Justice on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in which it 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 charge was signed by Oyedepo Iseoluwa Rotimi, SAN, Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, and A.R. Tahir, Chief State Counsel, for the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
In an affidavit deposed to by a litigation officer in the Federal Ministry of Justice, the prosecution stated that investigation into the matter had been substantially concluded and that a prima facie case had been established against the defendants.
According to the charge, the defendants allegedly conspired in 2020 in Abuja to forge a Nigerian International Passport No. A07535463 in the name “Tali Shani,” purportedly issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service, with the intent of using
the document to advance their claim to the London property.
The Counts 1 and 2 of the charge alleged that the defendants agreed to commit an illegal act by forging the passport and 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.
Similarly, in Count 3, the defendants were accused of conspiring in 2022 to use the alleged forged passport as genuine to facilitate their claim to the property.
In Count 4 the FG alleged that the defendants dishonestly used the document as genuine between 2023 and 2025 while Counts 5 and 7 pointedly accused Useni of false personation and cheating by personation.
In the charge, the Federal Government of Nigeria alleged that on or about May 30, 2020, Useni falsely presented himself as “Tali Shani,” which it noted as a fictitious person, and executed an irrevocable Power of Attorney in that name in connection with the property claim.
In Counts 6 and 8, Chief Ozekhome was particularly accused of abetting the offences of personation and cheating by personation by jointly executing the said irrevocable Power of Attorney dated May 30, 2020, with the alleged fictitious identity to facilitate the property claim.
In the same vein, the prosecution alleged in Count 9 that Ozekhome, sometime in 2022 in Abuja, had under his control the property at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London, which is reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained by the late Useni using the fictitious name.
In Count 10, Ozekhome was alleged to have under his control the sum of £18,000, said to be part of rent accrued from the London property, reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained while Counts 11 and 12 alleged that the defendants conspired in 2023 to forge a document titled “Re: Request for Authentication of Nigerian Passport No. A07535463 belonging to Mr. Tali Shani,” dated May 4, 2023, purportedly issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service to strengthen their claim to the property.
The Federal Government said the offences contravened various provisions of the Penal Code Law 2009, including Sections 83, 84, 96, 179, 319A, 321, 322, 363, 364 and 366.
Ozekhome and Ponfa Useni are presently in EFCC custody pending when a date for their arraignment is expected to be fixed by the FCT High Court.
