LPPC suspends Mike Ozekhome from SAN rank over London property saga, ICPC charges
The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) has temporarily suspended prominent lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, from using the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
The decision was announced in a statement issued on Wednesday by Kabir Akanbi, the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court and Secretary of the LPPC.
According to Akanbi, the suspension was handed down during the committee’s 173rd general meeting held on June 23, 2026. The disciplinary action will remain in force pending the conclusion of formal proceedings against the veteran lawyer.
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The LPPC noted that the suspension was approved pursuant to Paragraph 26(6) of the Guidelines for the Conferment of the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria and All Matters Relating to the Rank. The SAN title is one of the highest honors in Nigeria’s legal profession, reserved exclusively for practitioners who have distinguished themselves in the field.
The UK property indictment
This regulatory blow follows Ozekhome’s involvement in a highly disputed property case in the United Kingdom.
A UK tribunal recently indicted the 68-year-old lawyer for allegedly using fraudulent documents to claim ownership of a property located at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX. Investigators later traced the asset back to the estate of the late Lieutenant General Jeremiah Useni, a former military governor and minister from Plateau State.
The UK tribunal threw out all evidence presented by Ozekhome, citing “sharp practices” allegedly carried out in collaboration with a witness identified as Tali Shani.
ICPC files criminal charges in Abuja
Compounding his legal woes, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has instituted a three-count criminal charge against Ozekhome at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The charge sheet, marked FCT/HC/CR/010/2026, was filed on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation by Osuobeni Akponimisingha, Head of the High Profile Prosecution Department at the ICPC, alongside Ngozi Onwuka, Assistant Chief Legal Officer.
The charges border on giving false information, the use of forged documents, and attempting to deceive a public authority.
The first count of the charge sheet reads:
“That you Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN (M) ’68yrs’ of No. 53, Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja, sometime in August, 2021 or thereabout at a place outside Nigeria i.e. London, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, directly received house 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX purportedly given to you by one Mr Shani Tali, an act you knew constitutes a felony and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 13 and punishable under section 24 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences, Act, 2000.”
Ozekhome has yet to issue an official statement regarding the LPPC suspension or the pending ICPC charges.
