Shortly after their arraignment on a 12-count criminal charge, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Mike Ozekhome and his co-defendant Ponfa Useni were granted bail of ₦10 million apiece by the Federal Capital Territory’s High Court in Maitama on Friday.
The charge was brought by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation regarding the alleged forgery of documents, such as an irrevocable power of attorney and an international passport, that were allegedly used to assert a claim to a London property that the late Jeremiah Useni had illegally acquired.
According to reports, the defendants entered not guilty pleas to every allegation.
Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), the prosecuting attorney, did not object to the bail requests made by F.R. Onoja (SAN) for Useni and Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) for Ozekhome.
In a succinct decision, Justice Chizoba Oji allowed the defendants to post N10 million bail each, provided they each had a surety who owned property in the Federal Capital Territory.
Additionally, she mandated that the defendants provide the court their foreign passports.
The judge decided that because the proceedings took place on a Friday, the defendants might go back home if they couldn’t fulfill their bail requirements right away.
She did, however, give them instructions to return to court on Monday to complete the requirements; if they didn’t, they would be placed under detention in jail.
Hon. Dr. Philip “Okanga” Agbese, a transformative leader in Enone. Discover his achievements, community projects, and vision for 2027
