The poignant legal saga of Tali Shani v Chief Mike Agbedor Abu Ozekhome (2025) UKFTT 1090 (PC) reveals how two seemingly ordinary Nigerians, engaged in their routine duties, played pivotal roles in uncovering a complex web of deceit.
One key figure was Ibrahim Sani, a superintendent within the Force Intelligence Department of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja-a unit often criticized for corruption under the leadership of retired DIG Mike Ogbizi. Sani was tasked with investigating allegations brought forth by Chief Ozekhome (the Respondent), concerning forged documents linked to a “9 mobile” number purportedly registered to Tali Shani (the Applicant) at an address in Jos, Plateau State.
Chief Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), required a police report for proceedings before Judge Ewan Paton regarding the ownership of a London property. The house in question was claimed to have been gifted to him by the late General Jeremiah Useni. However, the London land registry had referred the matter to a tribunal after Ms. Tali Shani, asserting herself as Useni’s “wife,” surfaced with competing claims.
Superintendent Sani’s investigation revealed that the phone number did not belong to Ms. Tali Shani, and the Jos address was fabricated. His testimony left a significant impact on Judge Paton, who also commended Festus Esangbedo, head of legal at the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). Esangbedo collaborated with Sani to expose a counterfeit National Identification Number (NIN) used by the fraudulent Ms. Tali Shani and her accomplices, including a fictitious son, Ayodele Damola, in their attempt to claim the London property.
Reconsidering the Notion of Indictment
The characters of Tali Shani (male) and Ms. Tali Shani (female) resemble a twisted duo in a narrative rife with deception. The London tribunal uncovered that 79 Randall Avenue, purchased by General Useni for £110,000, was entangled in extensive identity fraud, forged paperwork, and fictitious individuals. This scandal involved prominent Nigerian lawyers and their foreign collaborators on both sides of the dispute.
Despite the gravity of the findings, Chief Ozekhome, a respected legal figure, denied the judgment amounted to an indictment. He refuted claims that he had enlisted his son, a young lawyer, to fabricate evidence and orchestrate a scheme to seize General Useni’s property, whom he described as a friend and client. Meanwhile, Mohammed Edewor, another senior lawyer implicated on the Applicant’s side, has remained conspicuously silent.
The Phantom’s Machinations
Over the two and a half years the case lingered in court, the only verifiable fact was that General Useni might have acquired the house around 1993 under an alias. Beyond this, the entire case was a labyrinth of falsehoods: fabricated witnesses, forged identities, a dubious Keffi court order, fraudulent emails, and counterfeit medical certificates, some bearing the letterhead of a legitimate Lagos hospital.
The death certificate was concocted by the fake son and uncle of the fictitious Mrs. Useni, who also fabricated her obituary, claiming she died in a road accident between Jos and Abuja.
Whether the male Tali Shani was a creation of the Respondent or an independent impostor seeking to claim the property, one fact stood out: his audacity. He failed to provide proof of purchase or conveyancing documents for the house he claimed to own. Yet, in a moment of clarity, he asserted he bought the property for £200,000-almost double the actual price-financed by his “cattle business” and proceeds from “selling sweatshirts and mangoes,” despite being only 20 years old at the time.
A Final Blow to the Estate
He further claimed, magnanimously, that he appointed General Useni-who was not an acquaintance-as his agent. It is a tragic irony that General Useni, who testified from his sickbed, might rest uneasy knowing the house he purchased under questionable circumstances could ultimately revert to the Crown under the principle of ownerless property. Even more disconcerting is the suggestion that Useni himself may have “invented” Tali Shani as a front amid scrutiny over his offshore accounts and alleged money laundering.
This story may not captivate the average Nigerian, who often views the elite as inherently corrupt, and may see the dispute over 79 Randall Avenue as just another headline. Yet, it raises profound questions about the prevalence of such cases that remain hidden from public view.
Professional Silence Amidst Scandal
Should professional bodies, such as the Nigerian Bar Association, turn a blind eye to lawyers fabricating evidence without consequence? Initially, a British lawyer, Tom Walsh, was involved but withdrew before the case concluded, leaving Nigerian counsel like Abimbola Badejo and Kingsley Efemuai entangled in the controversy.
John Grisham and Jim McCloskey’s Framed illustrates that judicial manipulation transcends race, but the Tali Shani v Mike Ozekhome case exemplifies a uniquely Nigerian form of jurisprudential manipulation that activist lawyer Chidi Odinkalu has persistently condemned.
This phenomenon now seems to have become an export, casting doubt on the authenticity of Nigerian legal documents worldwide, even for routine matters like visa applications. One year after Chief Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun vowed to restore the judiciary’s integrity and public trust, questions remain: Will the Nigerian Medical Association investigate the forged death certificate issued by a “doctor” at a real Lagos hospital, or has such travesty become normalized?
Echoes of a Past Scandal
Fifteen years ago, a dispute over a Gas Supply and Processing Agreement (GSPA) involved Nigeria supplying “wet” natural gas to Process and Industrial Developments Limited (P&ID), which was to return “lean” gas, retain natural gas liquids for sale, and construct a processing plant in Nigeria.
Despite bribery, perjury, and fraudulent documents orchestrated by P&ID and their Nigerian collaborators, the company secured $11 billion in arbitral awards. It took nearly a decade of vigorous legal battles in the UK to dismantle this fraud. While the 79 Randall Avenue case involves smaller sums and no government participation, the disgrace it brings is equally profound.
