By Abiola Olawale
The Federal Government of Nigeria has officially withdrawn the criminal charges filed against prominent human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Mike Ozekhome.
The case, which centered on allegations of forgery and property fraud involving a high-value residence in London, was discontinued following a review by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
​The legal battle began in early 2026 when the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) filed a three-count charge (FCT/HC/CR/010/2026) against Ozekhome.
​The allegations were rooted in a September 2025 judgment from a UK First-tier Tribunal. The tribunal had dismissed Ozekhome’s claim to a property located at 79 Randall Avenue, London, citing a “web of fraud and forged documents.”
He was dragged to court before Justice Peter Kekemeke of the FCT High Court, Maitama, Abuja, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on a three-count charge bordering on property forgery.
In the earlier sitting, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo SAN, informed the court that the AGF was taking over the case from ICPC and asked for an adjournment to enable the AGF to study the case file.
At the resumed sitting, Oyedepo informed the court that he was instructed by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi to withdraw the instant charge against the defendant pursuant to Section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
According to the DPPF, the withdrawal was to enable the AGF to strengthen his review of all the cases before all the agencies.
Paul Erokoro SAN, counsel for Ozekhome, who led over 15 SANs and another retinue of lawyers, had no objection to the application for withdrawal of the charge.
Based on this development, the court subsequently struck out the instant charge.
