Nigeria TV Info 

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

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of a United Kingdom property linked to former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Jeremiah Useni, with connections to Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome.

The ruling, delivered by Justice Binta Nyako, confirmed that the property located at 79 Randall Avenue, Neasden, London, will now permanently belong to the Federal Government after it was deemed to have been acquired through unlawful means.

The forfeiture followed an application by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), which had earlier secured an interim forfeiture order. The court had directed that the order be published to allow any interested party to contest ownership, but no individual or entity came forward to challenge it.

Justice Nyako ruled that the application for final forfeiture was meritorious, noting that evidence presented showed a significant gap between Useni’s legitimate earnings and the value of the London property. This discrepancy strengthened suspicions that the asset was funded through illicit means.

Further findings from a UK tribunal played a key role in the decision. The tribunal established that the property had been purchased using a fictitious identity, “Tali Shani,” which was later proven not to exist. Evidence instead linked ownership directly to Useni.

The property had also been the subject of a dispute involving Ozekhome, who claimed it was gifted to him by the supposed “Tali Shani.” However, the tribunal’s conclusion that the identity was fictitious cast serious doubt on that claim.

With the court’s final order, ownership of the property has now been permanently transferred to the Nigerian government, marking the conclusion of a prolonged legal and investigative process spanning both Nigeria and the United Kingdom.