ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s Federal Government has withdrawn criminal charges filed against Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), in connection with allegations of corruption and forgery over a London property.
The withdrawal was announced at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday, 24 February 2026, by Rotimi Oyedepo, Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and SAN. He said the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, instructed the office to discontinue the charges under Section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
The charges had originally been filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on 16 January 2026, accusing Ozekhome of receiving a house in London through corrupt means and using forged documents to claim ownership. His arraignment, initially scheduled for 26 January, had been postponed to allow the Attorney-General’s office to review the case.
Lawyer Paul Erokoro, SAN, representing Ozekhome alongside seventeen other senior lawyers, did not object to the withdrawal, after which the court struck out the case.
The ICPC’s charges followed a September 2025 judgement by a London property tribunal linking the 68-year-old lawyer to “fraud and forged” documents concerning a property at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX. Allegations included forgery of a Nigerian passport in the name of Shani Tali to claim the property and using the forged document to support ownership claims.
The withdrawal allows the Attorney-General to examine prosecutorial files across agencies and strengthen legal oversight. The development closes a chapter on one of Nigeria’s most widely followed international property disputes.