AfriPulse
Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered the final forfeiture of a United Kingdom property linked to a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the late Jeremiah Useni, to the Federal Government.
In a ruling, Justice Nyako held that the motion on notice for the final forfeiture of the property, moved by counsel to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Sufyan Ahmad, was meritorious and accordingly granted it.
The property is located at No. 79, Randall Avenue, Neasden, London NW2 7SX.
Ahmad told the court that the property was reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
He advanced four grounds in support of the application, submitting that the court possessed both inherent and statutory powers to exercise its discretion in favour of the agency.
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He cited provisions of Sections 7, 17, 19, and 67 of the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act 2022, as well as Sections 6 and 44 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as empowering the court to grant the relief.
The court had earlier granted an interim preservation order on the property on November 20, 2025. It also directed that the order be published to allow any person or authority, whether corporate or otherwise, to indicate interest and show cause why the property should not be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Ahmad said the order was complied with through publication in the Tribune newspaper on March 4. According to him, no individual or entity came forward to indicate interest or file any process contesting the forfeiture.
He therefore urged the court to grant the application.
Earlier proceedings on January 26 were stalled due to the inability of the CCB to properly serve the motion and hearing notice on the respondents. However, the agency later obtained an order for substituted service through newspaper publication, which the court granted.
In an affidavit supporting the motion, a CCB investigator, Raji Rasaq, stated that the court had granted an interim preservation order on November 28, 2025.
He explained that, pursuant to the order, a publication was made in a widely circulated national newspaper inviting interested parties to show cause within 14 days why the property should not be forfeited.
Rasaq noted that no person or entity responded to the notice or established any legitimate interest in the property.
He further disclosed that the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) of the United Kingdom, in suit number REF/2023/0155, delivered a judgment confirming that the late Useni was the true owner of the property, having acquired it under a fictitious name.
According to him, the tribunal found that the alias was deliberately used to conceal the identity of the beneficial owner and suppress official documentation.
Rasaq added that the property was acquired during Useni’s tenure in public office and that the circumstances strongly indicated that the funds used were derived from unlawful activity.
He stated that the CCB obtained the remuneration package for political, public, and judicial office holders from the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to conduct a net worth analysis of the deceased while in service.
The analysis, carried out by the Financial Investigation and Forensic Accounting Unit (FIFAU) of the CCB, revealed that the declared income of the deceased was grossly insufficient to account for the acquisition of the property.
Rasaq further stated that the bureau possessed the asset declaration form of the deceased, in which he declared ownership of the property, despite purchasing it under a fictitious name.
He maintained that there were reasonable grounds to believe the property constituted proceeds of unlawful activity and urged the court to grant the final forfeiture in the interest of justice.
Also mentioned in the dispute is Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome.
The matter, filed before the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Land Registration in the UK under reference REF/2023/0155, listed Tali Shani as the applicant and Ozekhome as the respondent.
The property had been claimed by one “Ms Tali Shani” on one hand and Ozekhome on the other.
Ozekhome was reported to have claimed that he received the property as a gift from “Mr Tali Shani” in 2021, while counsel to “Ms Shani” insisted she was the rightful owner.
A witness identified as “Mr Tali Shani” testified in support of Ozekhome, claiming to hold power of attorney over the property and to have transferred it to him.
He asserted ownership of the property dating back to 1993 and stated that he later appointed Useni as his property manager, describing him as an “elder friend and business partner”.
Conversely, several documents—including an obituary announcement, National Identification Number (NIN) card, ECOWAS passport, and phone records—were tendered by witnesses for “Ms Tali Shani” in support of her claim.
However, the tribunal found all the documents submitted on her behalf to be fraudulent.
It subsequently dismissed all claims, ruling that neither “Mr” nor “Ms” Tali Shani existed.
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