Court fixes Jan 26 for ruling on London property linked to former FCT minister

The Federal High Court in Abuja has set January 26 to rule on the final forfeiture of a London property linked to the late Jeremiah Useni, former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister.

The ruling comes after no individual or representative of Useni’s estate appeared within the 14 days allowed to contest the forfeiture and prove ownership of the property.

The case originated from an ex parte application filed by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) in late 2025, seeking an interim forfeiture and preservation order because the property was acquired with proceeds of unlawful activity.

On November 28, Justice Binta Nyako granted the interim forfeiture order and directed the CCB to publish it in a national newspaper within 14 days to invite anyone with an interest in the property to come forward and show proof of lawful ownership.

The property is located at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX. The dispute involves retired Lieutenant-General Jeremiah Useni and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Mike Ozekhome. The matter was also filed at the UK First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Land Registration under case number REF/2023/0155, with Tali Shani as the applicant and Ozekhome as the respondent.

Ownership was contested between “Ms Tali Shani” and Ozekhome. Ozekhome said he received the house as a gift from “Mr Tali Shani” in 2021, while lawyers for “Ms Shani” insisted she was the rightful owner. A witness identifying as “Mr Tali Shani” testified for Ozekhome, claiming he held Powers of Attorney over the property and transferred it to Ozekhome.

He also said he had owned the property since 1993 and later appointed Useni as his property manager.

“Ms Shani’s” witnesses presented documents including an obituary, a National Identification Number (NIN) card, an ECOWAS passport, and phone records to support her claim. The tribunal, however, found the documents to be fake and dismissed all claims, concluding that neither “Mr” nor “Ms” Tali Shani existed.

Following the tribunal’s decision, the federal government filed criminal charges against Ozekhome for alleged forgery and use of false documents in connection with the property. The three-count charge, filed as FCT/HC/CR/010/2026, was brought before a Federal High Court in Abuja by Osuobeni Akponimisingha of the ICPC’s High-Profile Prosecution Department and Ngozi Onwuka, assistant chief legal officer, on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation. The charges allege that Ozekhome received the property from a false owner, created a false passport in the name of “Mr Shani Tali” to support his claim, and used the false passport as genuine.

The court’s ruling on January 26 will determine the final status of the London property and the legal accountability of those involved.