On Friday, the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, located in Maitama, granted bail to Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, and his co-defendant, Ponfa Useni, who faced multiple charges related to forgery. Both defendants were arraigned on a total of 12 counts, including the alleged forgery of critical documents such as an international passport and irrevocable power of attorney, which were allegedly used to assert ownership of a property in London tied to the deceased Jeremiah Useni.

During the proceedings, the defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges presented against them. The prosecution, represented by counsel Rotimi Oyedepo, did not oppose the bail applications made by the defense lawyers, Tayo Oyetibo for Ozekhome and F.R. Onoja for Useni. Subsequently, Justice Chizoba Oji ruled in favor of granting bail, setting the amount at N10 million for each defendant, contingent upon securing sureties who must possess property within the Federal Capital Territory.

In addition to the bail conditions, the court also mandated the defendants to deposit their international passports with the court to prevent any flight risk while the case progresses. This ruling reflects the ongoing legal challenges faced by Ozekhome and Useni as they navigate the complex judicial processes surrounding the serious allegations against them in connection with property ownership disputes.