The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has instituted criminal charges against senior lawyer and human rights advocate, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, over alleged fraud linked to a property in London.
The anti-corruption agency filed a three-count charge against Ozekhome at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, accusing him of complicity in a large-scale corruption case involving a London property.
The charge, marked FCT/HC/CR/010/26, was dated and filed on January 16, 2026, by ICPC’s counsel, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, who heads the Commission’s High Profile Prosecution Department. Ozekhome is the sole defendant in the case.
According to count one, the ICPC alleged that Ozekhome, 68, of No. 53 Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, sometime in August 2021 or thereabout, directly received a property located at House 79, Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, purportedly given to him by one Mr. Shani Tali.
The Commission said the alleged act constitutes a felony, contrary to Section 13 and punishable under Section 24 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
In count two, Ozekhome was accused of making a false document while acting as a legal practitioner and Senior Advocate of Nigeria. The ICPC alleged that he falsely used a Nigerian passport with number A07535463, bearing the name of Mr. Shani Tali, to support a claim of ownership of the London property, with intent to commit fraud.
The offence, the Commission said, is contrary to Section 363 and punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code, CAP 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, 2006.
Count three further alleged that Ozekhome dishonestly used the said Nigerian passport as a genuine document to back his ownership claim of the property, knowing that the passport was false. The offence is said to be contrary to Section 366 and punishable under Section 364 of the same Penal Code.
In support of its case, the ICPC attached several exhibits, including a judgment dated September 11, 2025, marked REF/2023/0155, an extra-judicial statement made by the defendant on January 12, 2026, interim forfeiture proceedings on the London property, a letter dated December 18, 2025, the data page of Shani Tali’s passport, and other relevant documents.
The Commission also listed its witnesses, including ICPC investigators Wakili Musa, Tosin Olayiwola, Ebenezer Nduo, and Blessing Monokpo. A representative of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) is also expected to testify, alongside other witnesses to be produced through subpoena or additional filings.
As of the time of filing this report, the case had not yet been assigned to a judge.