Mike Ozekhome: Why Nigeria govment dey sue di ogbonge lawyer for court?

Di Federal Govment of Nigeria don file corruption charges against Mike Ozekhome, one of di most popular legal practitioners for di kontri and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

Na di Independent Corrupt Practices and oda related offences Commission (ICPC) and di office of di Attorney General of di Federation, file di three-count charge bifor di Federal High Court for Abuja, as dem accuse Ozekhome say e put hand for some wuru-wuru practices, allegations wey e don deny.

Count one of di suit allege say Ozekhome bin receive one house for number 79 Randall Avenue, London, wey e claim say na one Shani Tali give am, but di ICPC say di transaction amount to felony unda di ICPC Act 2000.

For di secound count, dem say Ozekhome bin forge one Nigerian passport wit di numba A07535463 in di name of Mr Shani Tali, wit di intention to support im claim of ownership of di London property. Dis offence dey against di Penal Code of di Federal Capital Territory.

And for count three, di ICPC accuse Ozekhome say e dishonestly use di false passport to support im claim say na im get di property, even wen e know say di document na false.

Dem neva fix date for di trial.

Back story

For October 2025, local media for Nigeria bin report how one Olanrewaju Suraj, wey be di of head of one organisation by name 'Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA)' bin write petition to di ICPC against oga Mike Ozekhome.

Inside dat petition, Suraj bin accuse Ozekhome say e bing gang up wit some corrupt officials for Nigeria to forge fake national identity documents wey e use to claim ownership of one house for London.

Suraj bin make reference to one court judgement for London wia di court bin strike out Ozekhome claim of ownership of di house wey e claim say one of im Mr Tali Shani client give am.

Di court rule say Ozekhome case dey full of "forgery and deception" as dem find out say di 'Tali Shani' wey Ozekhome claim say na im give am di property, no dey exist.

Judge Ewan Paton of di First-tier Tribunal wia di mata bin hold, tok say di court investigation show say di name 'Tali Shani' na fake name wey one Nigerian politician and former military oga, Jeremiah Useni, bin dey use to open account and buy property for abroad.

Jeremiah Useni, who be former Minister of di Federal Capital Territory, bin buy di house in 1993 according to wetin court tok, but e buy am using di fake name 'Tali Shani'.

Oga Useni die for January 2025 in France, but bifor e die, e bin don appear for court using video link and e bin tell di court say: "Na me get. Na me buy di property. Na my property."

However, di court rule say Ozekhome bin produce all kinds of wayo-wayo documents, including Nigerian passport, fake national identity number (NIN), fake death certificates and odas to claim say 'Tali Shani' na im client and na im dash am di property to take pay am for im legal services bifor e die.

Judge Ewan Paton give judgement say e no believe Ozekhome, and di person wey go get di property na whoeva go obtain administration of Jeremiah Useni estate.

Na based on dis court judgement make Olanrewaju Suraj write petition against Ozekhome to di ICPC for October 2025, as e tok say di ogbonge lawyer don paint di image of Nigeria legal system bad.

"Dis findings don reveal grave conspiracy not only by senior and respected members of di Nigerian Bar but also by unknown Nigerian public officials who bin aid and abet di fabrication of national documents, thereby undermining di integrity of Nigeria's identification systems," Suraj tok for inside di petition.

Di ogbonge lawyer tell local tori pipo Premium Times say e don respond to allegetions to di anti corruption agency.

BBC News Pidgin don reach out to oga Mike Ozekhome but e neva respond to text messages and email wey we send to im. E no also ansa im phone wen our tori pesin call am.

Who be Mike Ozekhome?

Mike Ozekhome na ogbonge constitution and human rights lawyer wey don rise to di rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Life Bencher, wey be di highest distinction for legal practice for Nigeria.

E come from Edo State for di south-south region of Nigeria and e study law for di University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife) wia e graduate in 1980 at di age of 23 and dem call am to Bar in 1981.

Ozekhome also get two masters degree for law, Ph.D in Constitutional Law from Alliance International University, Lusaka, Zambia, and plenty honorary doctorate degree awards.

E teach law for sometime for OAU bifor e start im practice as junior counsel for di chambers of ogbonge lawyer Gani Fanwehinmi, and by1985 e don rise to senior counsel and den Deputy Head of Chambers.

Ozekhome don dey involved for plenty big cases for Nigeria. In 2022, e lead di defence team for Nnamdi Kanu, leader of di Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) who di Nigeria govment bin accuse of terrorism.

For dat case, Ozekhome bin win temporary victory for Kanu as e get di Federal High Court to strike out eight 0f di 15-count charges. E even take di mata to di Court of Appeal wia di appelate court bin strike out all di charges and discharge Kanu.

Howeva, di Supreme Court late reinstate di charges, and Kanu later disengage Ozekhome.