The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation has withdrawn the criminal forgery charge previously filed against Senior Advocate of Nigeria Mike Ozekhome, resulting in a Federal Capital Territory High Court ruling to strike out the case.
On January 16, 2026, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission filed a three-count criminal charge against Ozekhome over alleged forgery linked to a property dispute involving a London address.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, on January 26, 2026, took over the prosecution of the matter from the ICPC, as provided under constitutional and legal provisions governing prosecutorial authority in Nigeria.
At proceedings before Justice Peter Kekemeke of the FCT High Court in Maitama, Abuja, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, informed the court that the AGF had instructed him to withdraw the charge under Section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
Oyedepo said the withdrawal was to enable the office of the AGF to review and consolidate all related cases involving prosecuting agencies before deciding on the way forward.
Counsel for Ozekhome, Paul Erokoro, SAN, who led a team of senior lawyers, did not oppose the application for withdrawal of the charge.
Following the submission and absence of objection, Justice Kekemeke struck out the charge against Ozekhome.
The original charge accused Ozekhome of offences including receiving property believed to be proceeds of a felony, and making or dishonestly using forged documents, allegations the ICPC had linked to a matter before a property tribunal in the United Kingdom.
The withdrawal and striking out of the charge end the immediate criminal proceedings against Ozekhome in this matter.
The AGF’s review may determine whether any future action will follow, based on legal and procedural considerations.
The development highlights the prosecutorial authority vested in the Attorney-General to discontinue charges as part of broader case management functions under Nigerian law.
