NIS rejects passport used in UK property dispute involving Useni, Ozekhome

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has told a Federal Capital Territory High Court that a Nigerian passport presented in proceedings over a disputed London property linked to the late former FCT Minister, Jeremiah Useni, was not issued by the agency.

Testifying before Justice Chizoba Oji on Thursday, Aridegbe Akim, a Principal Staff Officer to the Comptroller-General of Immigration, said checks conducted on the document showed no trace of the passport in the service’s electronic records.

According to the witness, a search of the NIS database using the name Tali Shani, the identity on the passport, returned no result, indicating that the document is not recognised by the agency.

Akim further told the court that the passport number A07535463 did not follow the established issuance chain, which ordinarily includes payment, documentation, biometric enrolment, and production.

He explained that every passport issued by the service carries a unique number that can be traced through the agency’s electronic management system, alongside the holder’s National Identification Number and biometric details.

Although he admitted under cross-examination that the passport shared some physical similarities with authentic Nigerian passports, the witness maintained that no official record existed for the document presented in the foreign proceedings.

The testimony came as the prosecution opened its case against Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, and Ponfa Useni, who are facing a 12-count charge bordering on alleged forgery, impersonation, and related offences linked to ownership claims over a property at 79 Randall Avenue, London.

The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation alleged that the defendants, alongside the late Jeremiah Useni, between 2020 and 2021 forged the passport in the name of Tali Shani and deployed it to support a claim over the UK property.

The charges also accused Ponfa Useni of allegedly assuming the fictitious identity of Tali Shani to execute legal instruments, including an irrevocable power of attorney, used in the ownership dispute.

At the close of proceedings, the prosecution sought an adjournment to bring additional witnesses, a request that was not opposed by the defence.

Justice Oji subsequently adjourned the case to May 18, 2026, for continuation of hearing.