Abuja Court Grants N10Million Bail To Ozekhome, Jeremiah Useni’s Son Over Alleged UK Property Fraud
Abuja Court Grants N10Million Bail To Ozekhome, Jeremiah Useni’s Son Over Alleged UK Property Fraud
The trial judge, Justice Chizoba Orji, ordered that each defendant provide one surety who is resident in Abuja and owns verifiable landed property within the FCT.
A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja on Friday granted bail to Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, and Jeremiah Useni’s son, Ponfa Useni, also known as Tali Shani, in the sum of N10 million each over an alleged property fraud in the United Kingdom.
The trial judge, Justice Chizoba Orji, ordered that each defendant provide one surety who is resident in Abuja and owns verifiable landed property within the FCT.
The court also directed the defendants to deposit their passports with the court.
The ruling followed bail applications filed by the defendants’ counsel, Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, and S.R. Onoja, respectively.
Ozekhome and Useni were arraigned on an amended 12-count charge involving alleged conspiracy, forgery, impersonation, and unlawful control of a UK property. They both pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.
The prosecution, led by Director of Public Prosecution Rotimi Oyedepo, informed the court of an amended charge dated February 25, 2026, which he said replaced the initial charge.
He urged the court to accept the amended charge along with proof of evidence and supporting documents spanning pages 1 to 501.
Justice Orji granted the request, admitting the amended charge and accompanying evidence.
Oyedepo further requested that the court allow accelerated hearing of the case in the interest of society, the defence, and the legal profession, and also sought a short adjournment date to enable the defendants to prepare for trial.
“We urge your Lordship to impose conditions that will ensure their appearances,” he said.
In response, Oyetibo thanked the prosecution for not opposing the bail application and expressed his readiness for an accelerated hearing.
He informed the court that his client had consistently made himself available to anti-graft agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), noting that Ozekhome’s international passport was already in the custody of the EFCC.
Oyetibo also highlighted that Ozekhome is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) with an established law firm in Abuja and added that he is well known to the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
“He has nowhere to run. The EFCC and ICPC granted him bail on self-recognition, and he will not leave Nigeria,” Oyetibo submitted, urging the court to admit his client to bail on self-recognition.
Counsel to the second defendant, S.R. Onoja, also prayed the court to grant bail, citing his client’s heart condition and the administrative bail previously granted by the EFCC on liberal terms.
The prosecution, however, maintained that while the defendants’ international passports were already in the custody of the EFCC, the court should impose any conditions it deemed appropriate to ensure their appearance at trial.
Rotimi Oyedepo, the prosecution counsel, further raised concerns about the unusually large number of defence lawyers in the matter, reportedly around 91, and urged that the number be streamlined.
In her ruling, Justice Chizoba Orji admitted both defendants to bail in the sum of N10 million each, with one surety in like sum.
She ordered that the surety must own verifiable landed property in Abuja and that the defendants’ passports be deposited with the court.
The court directed that the defendants be released to go home but must perfect their bail conditions on or before Monday, March 2, 2026. The trial was adjourned to March 13, April 15, and April 16, 2026.
Regarding the charges, Counts 1 and 2 alleged that the defendants conspired to commit an illegal act by forging a passport and subsequently producing the false document between May 30, 2020, and 2021, contrary to Sections 96 and 363 of the Penal Code Law, 2009, and punishable under Section 364.
Count 3 accused the defendants of conspiring in 2022 to use the alleged forged passport as genuine to facilitate their claim to the property. Count 4 alleged that they dishonestly used the passport as genuine between 2023 and 2025.
Counts 5 and 7 specifically implicated Useni in false personation and cheating by personation. The prosecution alleged that on or about May 30, 2020, Useni falsely presented himself as “Tali Shani,” a fictitious person, and executed an irrevocable Power of Attorney in that name in connection with the property claim.
Counts 6 and 8 accused Ozekhome of abetting the offences of impersonation and cheating by personation by jointly executing the irrevocable Power of Attorney dated May 30, 2020, with the alleged fictitious person to facilitate the property claim.
Count 9 alleged that in 2022, Ozekhome had under his control a property located at No. 79 Randall Avenue, London, which investigators reasonably suspected was unlawfully obtained by the late General Useni using the fictitious name.
Count 10 further alleged that Ozekhome had under his control £18,000, said to be part of the rent accrued from the London property, which investigators reasonably suspected was unlawfully obtained.
Finally, Counts 11 and 12 alleged that in 2023, the defendants conspired to forge a document titled “Re: Request for Authentication of Nigerian Passport No. A07535463 Belonging to Mr. Tali Shani,” dated May 4, 2023, and falsely presented it as having been issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service to support their property claim.
