The Federal Government is set to arraign Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Mike Ozekhome, before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, over alleged fraud linked to a property in London, United Kingdom.
Barring any last-minute changes, the arraignment will take place on Monday, January 26, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in Courtroom 4, according to a hearing notice obtained on Wednesday.
Ozekhome is the sole defendant in the case, with the Federal Republic of Nigeria listed as the plaintiff.
The prosecution will be conducted by Osuobeni Akponimisingha, Head of the High Profile Prosecution Department of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The hearing notice states that the matter will be transferred from the general cause list to the court’s hearing paper for the scheduled date.
It also directs parties seeking adjournment to apply promptly and provide evidence where necessary, while requests to compel witness attendance must be made with reasonable notice.
The ICPC filed a three-count charge against Ozekhome on January 16, 2026. The first count alleges that in August 2021, Ozekhome knowingly received House 79, Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, from Mr. Shani Tali, an act the commission claims constitutes a felony under Sections 13 and 24 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The second count alleges that Ozekhome, while acting as a legal practitioner and SAN, created a false Nigerian passport bearing the name of Mr. Tali to support a fraudulent ownership claim over the London property, contrary to Sections 363 and 364 of the Penal Code of the FCT.
In the third count, the ICPC alleges that Ozekhome knowingly used the same forged passport to substantiate the property ownership claim, contrary to Section 366 of the Penal Code.
The case followed a petition submitted to the ICPC by Mr. Olanrewaju Suraj, head of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda.
The petition referenced a judgment by a British property tribunal, which allegedly accused Ozekhome and others of conspiring with corrupt Nigerian officials to procure forged identity documents in order to fraudulently claim ownership of the North London property.
The ICPC said it launched its investigation after the UK tribunal’s ruling implicated several individuals in a complex scheme involving fraud and forged documents.
