ICPC Files Criminal Charge Against Mike Ozekhome Over Alleged UK Property Fraud

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has filed a criminal charge against Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, over alleged involvement in a corruption scheme linked to a property in the United Kingdom.

According to court documents, the anti-graft agency filed a three-count charge before the Abuja High Court on 16 January 2026. The charge, marked FCT/HC/CR/010/26, lists Ozekhome as the sole defendant.

In the first count, the ICPC alleged that the 68-year-old senior advocate received a property located at House 79, Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, around August 2021. The commission claimed the property was purportedly transferred to him by one Shani Tali, an act it described as a felony under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

The second count accused Ozekhome of allegedly making a false document, specifically a Nigerian passport bearing the name Shani Tali. The ICPC said the passport was intended to support a fraudulent ownership claim over the London property, contrary to provisions of the Penal Code of the Federal Capital Territory.

In the third count, the commission alleged that Ozekhome knowingly used the same passport to advance claims on the property despite being aware that the document was false.

Documents attached to the charge reportedly include an extra-judicial statement dated 12 January 2026, a judgment referenced as REF/2023/0155 delivered on 11 September 2025, records of interim forfeiture proceedings involving the property, and correspondence dated 18 December 2025, among other materials.

The ICPC also listed multiple witnesses expected to testify, including its investigators, officials from the Nigerian Immigration Service, and other relevant parties. As of the time of filing, the case had not yet been assigned to a judge.

The charge follows a petition submitted by Olanrewaju Suraj, head of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), which cited findings from a London property tribunal. The tribunal’s ruling allegedly linked Ozekhome and others to forgery and fraudulent ownership claims over the North London property.