Abuja Court Orders Final Forfeiture of UK Property Linked to Useni, Ozekhome

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of a United Kingdom property linked to former FCT Minister, Jeremiah Useni, to the Federal Government.

The property, located at 79 Randall Avenue, Neasden, London, was also at the centre of a separate dispute involving Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, who had claimed it was gifted to him by an individual identified as “Tali Shani.”

Delivering judgment, Justice Binta Nyako ruled that the property was reasonably suspected to have been acquired through proceeds of unlawful activities.

The forfeiture followed a motion by the Code of Conduct Bureau, which sought a final order after no party came forward to challenge an earlier interim forfeiture.

The court had previously directed that the interim order be published in a national newspaper to allow anyone with an interest in the property to contest it. However, at the resumed hearing, the bureau’s counsel confirmed that no such application was filed.

Justice Nyako subsequently held that the application had merit and granted the final forfeiture.

In reaching her decision, the judge also relied on findings from a United Kingdom tribunal, which reportedly established that the property was acquired using a fictitious identity.

According to the tribunal, the name “Tali Shani,” initially presented as the owner, does not exist, with evidence linking the asset directly to Useni.

The bureau further submitted that an analysis of Useni’s declared earnings, based on data from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, revealed a significant gap between his legitimate income and the value of the property.

It argued that this discrepancy indicated the asset could not have been lawfully acquired.

With the court’s ruling, ownership of the property has now been permanently transferred to the Federal Government.