NIS Tells Court: Passport Used in Ozekhome’s London Property Claim Is Fake

An official of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has told a High Court in Abuja that the Nigerian passport presented in a controversial London property case involving senior lawyer Mike Ozekhome was never issued by the agency.
The officer, Akim Aridegbe, a Principal Staff Officer to the Comptroller-General of the NIS, made the revelation on Friday while testifying as the first prosecution witness in the ongoing forgery and impersonation trial of Ozekhome and his co-defendant, Ponfa Useni.
According to Aridegbe, the passport bearing the name Tali Shani and numbered A07535463 does not exist in the Immigration Service’s records.
“The passport was not issued by the Nigerian Immigration Service. It is not in our database. The passport belonging to Tali Shani is fake,” he told the court.
The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation had on 27 February arraigned Ozekhome and Useni on a 12-count charge bordering on forgery and impersonation.
Prosecutors allege that the two men conspired in 2020 with the late Jeremiah Useni, a retired army general and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory under the military regime of Sani Abacha, to create a false Nigerian passport in the name of Tali Shani in order to claim ownership of a property in the United Kingdom.
They are also accused of using the alleged fake passport and a forged Irrevocable Power of Attorney to facilitate the transfer of the property.
Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Immigration Verification
During his testimony, Aridegbe said the NIS received a request from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) asking it to authenticate the passports of Ponfa Useni and Tali Shani.
After checking the Immigration Service database, officials discovered that while the passport belonging to Useni was genuine, the one issued in the name of Tali Shani did not originate from the NIS.
The findings were subsequently communicated to the EFCC.
The Director of Public Prosecution, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), tendered the EFCC’s request and the NIS response as evidence in court. Defence lawyers Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) and E.R. Onoja (SAN) raised no objections at that stage.
How Nigerian Passports Are Issued
Aridegbe also explained the official process for obtaining a Nigerian passport.
He told the court that once payment is made online, applicants submit their breeder documents and National Identification Number (NIN). The information is then captured in the NIS database and encrypted in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, allowing border authorities worldwide to access biometric data.
According to him, any passport legitimately issued by the NIS must pass through this structured process.
“But in the case of Tali Shani, there is no record whatsoever,” he said.
He added that searches conducted by the agency also showed no payment record associated with the passport.
Fake Identity Claim
The witness further revealed that the EFCC asked the Immigration Service to verify a man named Abdulkadir Lawal, who allegedly wrote a letter on behalf of the NIS.
However, Aridegbe said checks within the agency’s personnel records and the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) showed that no such person was employed by the Immigration Service.
A panel set up by the Comptroller-General of Immigration and headed by Aridegbe later concluded that the letter attributed to Lawal did not originate from the NIS.
“The letter written by Abdulkadir Lawal never represented the NIS. It means the letter is fake,” he told the court.
Justice Chizoba Oji admitted the correspondence between the EFCC and NIS as exhibits and adjourned the case to 15 April for further cross-examination.
London Tribunal’s Findings
The Nigerian trial follows a ruling by a UK tribunal that earlier rejected Ozekhome’s attempt to claim ownership of a house at 79 Randall Avenue, North London.
In September 2025, Judge Ewan Paton of the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) ruled that the ownership claim was built on fraud, impersonation and forged documents.
The tribunal determined that the property was actually purchased in 1993 by the late Jeremiah Useni, although it was allegedly acquired under a false identity.
Ozekhome had applied in 2021 to transfer the property into his name, claiming it was gifted to him by a man identified as Tali Shani as appreciation for legal services.
But the claim was challenged by solicitors representing a woman also named Tali Shani, who insisted she had been the registered owner since 1993 and had never approved any transfer.
After reviewing the evidence, the UK tribunal concluded that the story presented to justify the transfer was “a contrived narrative invented to provide a plausible explanation.”
The property’s ownership, the tribunal ruled, would ultimately depend on whoever obtains probate over Useni’s English estate.
Meanwhile, a Nigerian court has recently ordered the forfeiture of the property to the Federal Government as investigations into the matter continue.