ICPC moves against SAN after damning UK court findings

From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja

Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has moved against Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mike Ozekhome, following damning findings by a United Kingdom court over a disputed London property.

Ozekhome is billed to be arraigned on Monday, January 26, 2026, before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on allegations of fraud and forgery linked to ownership claims on a high-value residential property in London.

The action by the ICPC comes on the heels of a highly critical judgment by the UK First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), which dismantled claims advanced by the senior lawyer and made far-reaching findings of false identity and fabricated documents.

The UK tribunal, after a full trial, rejected Ozekhome’s claim that the property at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2, was gifted to him in 2021 by an individual identified as Shani Tali. The court held that the alleged donor neither had lawful title to the property nor existed as a real person.

The tribunal found that documents presented in support of the ownership claim were fabricated and that the identity relied upon was fictitious. The court further traced the property’s ownership history, ruling that it was acquired in 1993 by the late Nigerian general and politician, Jeremiah Useni, under a false name, rendering all subsequent claims legally void.

Following the UK ruling, the ICPC launched its own investigation and has now filed a three-count charge against Ozekhome, accusing him of knowingly receiving the disputed property, creating or procuring forged Nigerian identity documents in the name of Shani Tali, and using the documents to pursue the ownership claim.

The Commission said its investigation was triggered by petitions and materials arising from the UK proceedings, including findings relating to false identities and forged documentation. Prosecutors are expected to rely on documentary evidence, testimony from ICPC investigators and officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service.

Although Ozekhome has not been convicted and is expected to enter a plea at his arraignment, the case has already generated widespread debate because it involves a senior member of Nigeria’s legal profession.

Legal and diplomatic observers say the matter has gone beyond a single prosecution and has become a test of Nigeria’s commitment to accountability, particularly in cases already examined and ruled upon by foreign courts.