UK Court Exposes Ex-FCT Minister Useni Over Fake Identity Property Deal, Blocks Transfer To Ozekhome

In a stunning courtroom revelation that has rattled Nigeria’s political and legal establishment, a United Kingdom High Court has exposed former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, General Jeremiah Timbut Useni (rtd.), for allegedly acquiring a luxury London property under a false identity.

Court documents unveiled during a heated property dispute revealed that Useni, who once served under the late military dictator, General Sani Abacha, purchased the multi-million-pound home using an alias to evade scrutiny and conceal his ownership.

The scandal escalated further when the court disclosed a last-minute attempt to transfer the property’s ownership to fiery Nigerian lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Michael Ozekhome. According to filings, the transfer was designed to “shield” the asset from forfeiture and forestall deeper investigations into its shady acquisition.

But in a damning verdict, the presiding judge nullified the transfer, describing it as a “calculated abuse of legal processes.” Legal watchers say the ruling sends a powerful signal that London will no longer serve as a safe haven for questionable foreign wealth hidden in its lucrative property market.

“This case rips the mask off decades of shadowy real estate deals by Nigerian elites,” one London-based analyst told reporters. “The courts are now unearthing what many had long suspected but could never prove.”

General Useni, once a feared powerbroker in Abacha’s cabinet and widely nicknamed “Jeremiah of the FCT” in the 1990s, passed away on January 23rd, 2025 at the age of 82 after a prolonged illness.His family has not issued any public reaction to the court’s findings.

Chief Ozekhome, renowned for his fiery courtroom style and political activism, has also kept silent. However, observers warn that the UK’s anti-graft agencies may widen their probe to question his role in the aborted ownership transfer.

The revelations have ignited a storm of outrage across Nigeria, with citizens calling on President Bola Tinubu’s government and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to reopen investigations into the foreign assets of former military and political leaders.

“This is just the beginning,” an anti-corruption campaigner in London said. “The days of hiding stolen wealth in plain sight are over. Names once thought untouchable are finally being dragged into the light.”

With the Useni-Ozekhome scandal still unfolding, many Nigerians believe this could be the start of a reckoning—one that may unravel some of the most deeply entrenched secrets of Nigeria’s political class under the unforgiving spotlight of international justice.