The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of a London property linked to the late Jeremiah Useni, former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to the Federal Government.
Justice Binta Nyako, in a ruling on Tuesday, held that the motion for forfeiture brought by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) was meritorious and granted the application.
The property is located at No. 79, Randall Avenue, Neasden, London NW2 7SX.
The CCB had named the administrators and executors of Useni’s estate, as well as the property itself, as respondents in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2333/2025. Counsel for the bureau, Sufyan Ahmad, told the court that the property is reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activity.
Ahmad cited 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 granting the court discretion to grant the forfeiture.
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An interim preservation order for the property had been issued on November 20, 2025, and duly published in a national newspaper on March 4, 2026, inviting interested parties to show cause why it should not be forfeited. No claims were received.
In an affidavit, CCB investigator Raji Rasaq said the First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) in the UK confirmed Useni as the true owner, noting that he had purchased the property under a fictitious name to conceal his ownership.
According to the CCB, a net worth analysis using Useni’s declared income from the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) revealed a significant “unexplained funds” gap, indicating the property could not have been acquired from legitimate sources.
“The circumstances strongly suggest that the funds used were from unlawful activity,” Rasaq stated, adding that the asset declaration form of the deceased, filed under a false name, further supports the forfeiture.
Also involved in the UK property dispute was Cgueg Mike Ozekhome, SAN, who had claimed the property had been gifted to him by an individual identified as “Mr Tali Shani.” The tribunal, however, dismissed claims from both “Mr” and “Ms” Tali Shani, finding the documents presented in support of their claims to be fake.
The court ruled in favour of the Federal Government, paving the way for final forfeiture of the property to the Nigerian state.
