An officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Aridegbe Akim, has told the court that the name “Tali Shani,” linked to a disputed London property, does not exist in the agency’s database.
Gatekeepers Newsreports that Akim gave the testimony under cross-examination in the ongoing trial of Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
Ozekhome and Ponfa Useni, son of the late Jeremiah Useni, are facing a 12-count charge before an FCT High Court in Maitama over alleged passport forgery and impersonation involving a fictitious individual named Tali Shani.
At the previous hearing, the witness had stated that the Nigerian passport bearing number A07535463, purportedly issued to Tali Shani, was not produced by the NIS.
During cross-examination by defence counsels Tayo Oyetibo and F. R. Onoja, Akim explained that the immigration service maintains a comprehensive electronic database of all passports issued, capturing details from application to issuance, including biometric data and National Identification Number (NIN).
“Once you insert a name, it brings out the particulars and history of that person, but on inserting this Tali Shani, no record was found,” he said.
He added that the passport issuance process involves several stages, including payment, generation of breeder documents, biometric enrolment, production, and issuance—none of which were found in connection with the disputed passport.
Akim further noted that while the document in question appeared similar to genuine Nigerian passports, every valid passport must correspond with official records in the NIS database.
Following his testimony, prosecuting counsel A. R. Tahir requested an adjournment to allow the prosecution present its second witness, a request that was not opposed by the defence. Presiding judge Chizoba Oji subsequently adjourned the case to May 18 for continuation of trial.
Background
The case centres on a property located at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, which became the subject of a legal dispute involving Ozekhome and the late Jeremiah Useni.
The matter was filed before the UK First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Land Registration under case number REF/2023/0155, with “Tali Shani” listed as the applicant and Ozekhome as the respondent.
Both “Mr Tali Shani” and “Ms Tali Shani” were presented in competing claims over the property. Ozekhome maintained that he received the property as a gift from “Mr Tali Shani” in 2021, while opposing counsel argued that “Ms Tali Shani” was the rightful owner.
A witness identified as “Mr Tali Shani” testified in support of Ozekhome, claiming ownership of the property since 1993 and stating that he had transferred it through powers of attorney, having appointed Useni as his property manager.
However, documents presented by those claiming to represent “Ms Tali Shani”—including an obituary, NIN card, ECOWAS passport, and phone records—were later deemed fraudulent by the tribunal.
The tribunal ultimately ruled that neither “Mr” nor “Ms” Tali Shani existed, concluding that the true owner, operating under a false identity, was Useni.
In a related development, a Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of the London property.
