Ozekhome, Useni Used Fake Passport in London Property Claim, NIS Witness Tells Court

Ozekhome, Useni Used Fake Passport in London Property Claim, NIS Witness Tells Court

A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Mike Agbedor Abu Ozekhome (SAN) and Ponfa Useni told the Federal Capital Territory High Court on Friday that the defendants allegedly presented a fake Nigerian international passport before a London tribunal to support their claim to ownership of a property once linked to the late former FCT Minister, General Jeremiah Useni. The witness also detailed how related documents and letters submitted in the matter were not authentic or traceable to the issuing authorities.

Ozekhome and Useni are being prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) on a 12‑count indictment that includes allegations of forging documents — including an international passport and an irrevocable power of attorney — and engaging in impersonation, fraud and cheating in connection with their effort to lay claim to the property at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2, United Kingdom. The charges are brought under multiple sections of the Penal Code Act (CAP 532, Laws of the FCT, 2006).

NIS Official Says Passport Was Not Issued by Immigration Service

At the hearing, Aridegbe Akeem, a Principal Staff Officer to the Controller‑General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), testified as the first prosecution witness. Led in evidence by Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), the prosecuting counsel, Akeem said a passport presented in the name of Tali Shani — Passport No. A07535463 — was not issued by the NIS and has no record in the agency’s database.

“It is not in our database,” Akeem said. “The passport belonging to Tali Shani is fake.” He explained that his team was instructed by the Comptroller‑General of the NIS to verify documents linked to the case at the request of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

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Akeem said the NIS received letters from the EFCC seeking authentication of two passports — one belonging to Ponfa Useni and the other purportedly belonging to “Tali Shani.” Upon checking the NIS database, only Useni’s passport was found to be validly issued by the service. No record existed for Tali Shani. The findings were then forwarded to the EFCC for further action.

The witness also explained the passport issuance procedure in Nigeria, saying that after an applicant makes an online payment, the database generates a record linked with the National Identification Number (NIN) and the relevant biographical data. This data, he said, is encrypted in compliance with standards from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), enabling biometric verification at international borders.

However, when NIS officials searched the system for “Tali Shani,” no record was found. Akeem said that even sales and issuance logs did not contain any trace of the passport number in question.

Alleged Fake Letter and Phantom NIS Officer

Akeem further testified that during the EFCC’s investigation, the agency was asked to verify a letter claimed to have been written by one Abdulkadir Lawal, allegedly representing the NIS. The witness said that after checking the NIS Legal Unit and nominal roll, no such person was found in the service, and the letter did not originate from the NIS. This, he said, suggested the letter was forged.

“We then communicated our findings to the EFCC,” he added. The NIS also extended checks to the IPPS (Integrated Personnel and Payroll System) to ensure there was no record of the purported officer, confirming that Lawal did not exist in official records.

During cross‑examination by counsel to Ozekhome, Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), Akeem said he became a Principal Staff Officer in December 2023 but had been on out‑post duty outside Nigeria before July 2023. He also noted Nigeria’s full admission into PKG and PKI (ICAO security standards upgrades) in 2025, which enhance passport and travel document security and verification.

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Akeem recalled that the first EFCC letter to the NIS referenced Abdulkadir Lawal. At that point, Oyetibo requested an adjournment, which Justice Chizoba Oji granted, adjourning the case until April 15 for continuation of the trial.

Charges Against Ozekhome and Useni

Among the counts in the 12‑count charge before the court are allegations that:

• Ozekhome, Useni and the late General Jeremiah Useni made a false Nigerian international passport (No. A07535463) in the name of “Tali Shani” and claimed it was issued by the NIS to support Ozekhome’s claim to the London property — an offence under sections 363 and 364 of the Penal Code Act.
• Ponfa Useni falsely personated “Tali Shani” and executed an Irrevocable Power of Attorney in that fictitious name to back the property claim, an offence under sections 179 and 321 of the Penal Code Act.
• Ozekhome allegedly abetted the impersonation by acting alongside Useni in executing the forged documents — an offence under section 85 of the Penal Code Act.

The prosecution also tendered several documents through the witness, including the EFCC letters to the NIS, NIS responses, and copies of both genuine and fake passports. These are expected to form a central part of the evidence as the trial progresses.

Broader Legal and Property Dispute Context

The case stems from a long‑running dispute over title to the London property at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2, which was previously the subject of litigation before the UK First‑Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). In that tribunal, allegations of identity fraud, impersonation and use of forged documents were raised as part of the competing claims. That judgment and related findings fed into the criminal prosecution in Nigeria.

In January, the federal government formally filed the criminal charges against Ozekhome and Useni, accusing them of forgery, impersonation, cheating and use of false documents in relation to the attempt to claim ownership of the London property. Defence counsel has yet to respond publicly to the latest testimony.

Ozekhome, Useni Used Fake Passport in London Property Claim, NIS Witness Tells Court