The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) has suspended Chief Mike Ozekhome from the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) over his involvement in the alleged forgery of documents on a London Property that belonged to the late FCT Minister, Gen Jeremiah Useni, otherwise known as Mr Thali Shani.

This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday by Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and

Secretary, Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee, Kabir E. A said the committee took the decision at its 173rd General Meeting held on June 23, 2026.

According to the statement, the action was taken pursuant to Paragraph 26(6) of the Guidelines for the Conferment of the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria and all matters pertaining to the rank, pending the final determination of the disciplinary proceedings, presently before the Disciplinary and Ethics Sub-Committee of the LPPC and other proceedings.

The suspension is intended to safeguard the integrity, dignity, and prestige of the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria while due consideration is given to the matters under review.

Accordingly, “Chief Mike Ozekhome, shall refrain from parading himself, presenting himself, or otherwise holding himself out as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria pending the final determination of the disciplinary proceedings.

“The LPPC remains committed to upholding the highest standards of professional ethics, integrity, and discipline within the legal profession and to ensuring that the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria continues to command public confidence and respect”, the statement added.

On October 27, 2025, a Civil Society Group, Justice Reform Project(JRP)  filed a petition before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) seeking the embattled lawyer to answer allegations professional misconduct. Others joined with him in the petition is his son, Osilama Mike Ozekhome, Kingsley Efemuai, a London based lawyer, and Mohammed Edewor.

Joined with JRP as petitioners are three Nigerian lawyers, Charles Adeyemi Candide-Johnson SAN, Dr Babatunde Ajibade SAN, Babajide Ogundipe.

A London Property Tribunal Judge, Ewan Paton had on  September 11, 2025 indicted Ozekhome and others in a property dispute owned by a Nigerian former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the late General Jeremiah Useni which Ozekhome claimed was transferred to him by one Mr Thali Shani. The property is located at 79 Randall Avenue, North London. The senior lawyer claimed that the property was a gift of gratitude to him by the client due to handling several cases for him.

Concluding that the entire case was built on “forgery and deception,” the tribunal struck out the claims, describing them as an abuse of judicial process.

The tribunal held that the property, registered in 1993 under the name “Tali Shani,” was in fact secretly purchased by the late General Jeremiah Useni, a powerful ally of Sani Abacha and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

The court ruled that the case before it was built on “a network of fraud, impersonation, and forged documents.” It found that Mr Ozekhome’s claim that the house was gifted to him in 2021 by one “Mr Shani” in gratitude for legal services worth N100 million was fabricated.

The judge described the lawyer’s defence, supported by his son, as “a contrived story… invented in an attempt to provide a plausible reason” for the transfer.

Judge Paton concluded that the supposed Ms Shani “was never a real living person” and that her documents were deliberately fabricated with the connivance of corrupt Nigerian officials.

“The entire case was built on forgery and deception,” the judge said, before ruling that the property remained part of Mr Useni’s estate, now subject to probate. He therefore struck out the case.

Dear readers, we really need your support to keep on serving you with authoritative, truthful, and juicy stories everyday. For your support, please reach out to the editor @gavelinternational66@gmail.com