A UK property tribunal has exposed Chief Mike Ozekhome, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), in a bizarre and sordid scheme to acquire a London property tied to the late Lieutenant General Jeremiah “Jerry Boy” Useni.
The judgment in Tali Shani v Chief Mike Ozekhome revealed how the prominent lawyer attempted to secure a multimillion-pound London home through dubious claims, contradictory explanations, and questionable witnesses—only for the case to collapse spectacularly under judicial scrutiny.
The Hidden London Property
At the heart of the case was a house at 79 Randall Avenue, London, purchased in 1993 under the false name “Tali Shani.” Tribunal documents showed it was in fact owned by General Useni, a notorious Abacha-era insider. For years, rent from the property paid bills at Useni’s Quadrangle Tower flat in London.
Ozekhome’s Claim
In 2019, Ozekhome claimed to have met a “Mr. Tali Shani,” who supposedly gave him power of attorney over the house. By 2021, the lawyer arranged a transfer of the property into his own name. On paper, the deal was a gift. In parallel, he claimed it was also settlement for ₦100 million and “legal services” rendered.
The judge dismissed Ozekhome’s account as “an invention,” noting he was trying to present the transfer both as a free gift (to avoid UK stamp duty) and as payment (to justify his acquisition).
Phantom Ms. Shani and Fake Papers
Complicating matters, a supposed “Ms. Tali Shani” surfaced in 2022, claiming to be the true owner. Her lawyers filed a pile of fabricated documents: a Nigerian NIN card registered in Monaco, a fake phone bill, and even a funeral flyer with impossible dates. The tribunal ruled that “Ms. Shani” never existed, describing the case as an “abuse” built on forgeries.
Star Witness Backfires
Ozekhome’s undoing came from his own “star witness”—General Useni. Instead of backing his lawyer and long-time friend, the retired General declared: “I bought the property. Mr. Tali Shani had nothing to do with it.”
This bombshell torpedoed Ozekhome’s claim, confirming the house was Useni’s hidden asset, not “Tali Shani’s” to transfer.
Why It Matters
The case raises troubling questions about Ozekhome’s integrity. A SAN, often compared to Britain’s King’s Counsel, is meant to embody the highest ideals of the profession. Instead, this ruling suggests one of Nigeria’s most visible lawyers schemed to grab a foreign property linked to corruption, relying on laughable forgeries and collapsing testimony.
For Nigeria’s legal establishment, the scandal is an embarrassment. If a senior silk can be discredited abroad in such fashion, what does it say about the bar’s moral compass?
A Symbol of Elite Corruption
The Randall Avenue fiasco is a mirror of Nigeria’s ruling class: a looted house in London, a lawyer angling to pocket it, and a parade of falsehoods that mocked both Nigerian and British legal systems.
Useni’s death in January 2025 means his estate must now untangle the mess. The Nigerian government could move to claim the property as stolen wealth—but history suggests little appetite for such accountability.
What remains clear is this: the case stripped bare the pretenses of Nigeria’s so-called elite. Beneath the silk robes and lofty rhetoric lies the same hustler instinct—only dressed in legalese and stamped with official seals.
A profound disgrace.
