A UK property tribunal says late General Jeremiah Useni secretly bought a London home using a fake identity.
It also rejected Senior Advocate Mike Ozekhome’s bid to take ownership.
A London property tribunal has revealed that the late General Jeremiah Useni, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, purchased a house in the United Kingdom in 1993 under a fabricated identity.
Details of the case, publicised on X by Adam Wren, director of Open Justice UK, show that the First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) last week rejected efforts to transfer the ownership of the property at 79 Randall Avenue, Neasden, North London, to Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome.
According to the ruling in Tali Shani v Chief Mike Agbedor Abu Ozekhome [2025] UKFTT 1090 (PC), the tribunal determined that “Ms. Tali Shani,” listed as the property owner, never existed and was a false persona created decades ago by Useni to disguise his purchase. Records of rental income later tied to Useni supported the tribunal’s conclusion that he controlled the property for many years.
The dispute began when Ozekhome applied in 2021 to register the property in his name, claiming it had been legally transferred to him through a power of attorney and a signed deed. His claim was challenged by representatives of the non-existent “Ms. Shani,” who insisted she was the legitimate owner.
The court found that identity documents and even a reported death certificate for “Ms. Shani” in October 2024 were fabricated. An individual claiming to be her son, Ayodele Damola, also failed to convince the tribunal of any lawful ownership.
Presiding Judge Ewan Paton dismissed both claims, concluding that Ozekhome could not obtain ownership through a fraudulent transfer and that “Ms. Shani” had no real identity. The tribunal left the property legally in the name of “Ms. Tali Shani,” even as it acknowledged she was fictitious.
The judgment stated that the real purchaser was General Useni using a false identity, adding that both parties attempted to rely on stolen or invented identities and therefore both lost their cases.
