The Federal Government is set to arraign Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome, before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, over alleged fraud linked to a property in London, United Kingdom.
The arraignment is expected to take place on Monday, January 26, 2026, at Courtroom 4 of the court, barring any last-minute changes.
A hearing notice sighted on Wednesday shows that Ozekhome is the sole defendant in the case, while the Federal Republic of Nigeria is listed as the plaintiff.
The prosecution will be handled by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, led by the Head of its High Profile Prosecution Department, Osuobeni Akponimisingha.
According to the hearing notice, the matter “will be transferred from the general cause list to the hearing paper for Monday, the 26th day of January, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.”
The notice also stated that any party seeking an adjournment must apply to the court early and provide proof if the request is based on facts. It added that parties who intend to compel the attendance of witnesses must give reasonable notice.
Ozekhome is facing three counts in the charge filed by the ICPC on January 16, 2026.
In the first count, the anti-graft agency alleged that in August 2021, in London, Ozekhome directly received a property located at House 79, Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, said to have been given to him by one Mr. Shani Tali, “knowing that the act constituted a felony.” The offence is said to be contrary to Section 13 and punishable under Section 24 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The second count alleged that Ozekhome, while acting as a legal practitioner and a SAN, created a false Nigerian passport bearing the name of Mr. Shani Tali in August 2021. The passport, with number A07535463, was allegedly used to support a fraudulent claim of ownership of the London property. The offence is said to be contrary to Section 363 and punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code, Laws of the FCT.
In the third count, the ICPC alleged that Ozekhome dishonestly used the same false passport to back the ownership claim, “knowing that the document was false,” an offence also punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code.
The case followed a petition written to the ICPC by the head of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraj.
The petition reportedly referred to a judgment of a British court, which accused Ozekhome and others of working with corrupt Nigerian officials to obtain fake national identity documents in order to “fraudulently claim ownership” of a property in North London.
The ICPC said it began its investigation after a London property tribunal delivered a judgment that allegedly linked Ozekhome and others to a network of fraud and forged documents connected to the disputed property.
