The court hearing the document forgery case against senior lawyer, Mike Ozekhome has been told that the passport used for the alleged London property purchase was not issued by the Nigerian Immigration Service.
The prosecution’s first witness, Aridegbe Akim, told the court that investigations conducted by the NIS revealed that a passport with the name Tali Sha and number- A07535463 did not originate from the service.
According to him, a search of the immigration database showed no record linking the document to the NIS, leading the agency to conclude that the passport attributed to Tali Shani was not genuine.
Akim explained that the immigration service received correspondence from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) requesting verification of two passports said to belong to a Ponfa Useni and Tali Shani.
After reviewing their records, the service discovered that while the passport issued in Useni’s name was authentic, the one associated with Shani had no trace in the NIS system.
He stated that the outcome of the verification exercise was formally communicated to the EFCC.
During the proceedings, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, tendered both the EFCC’s request to the NIS and the response from the immigration authorities through the witness.
Counsel representing the defendants, Tayo Oyetibo, SAN and E. R. Onoja (SAN), did not oppose the admission of the documents.
The witness also explained the standard procedure for obtaining a Nigerian passport.
He said applicants begin the process by making payments online, after which the system generates records that include required supporting documents and the applicant’s National Identification Number (NIN).
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According to him, once these details are captured, the information becomes part of the immigration database, adding that Nigerian passports are currently integrated with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) framework, allowing biometric information to be accessed at international borders.
Akim told the court that when officials attempted to verify the name Tali Shani in the immigration system, no data or personal record associated with the name could be found, stating that the service also had no record indicating that a passport with the referenced number was ever sold or processed by the NIS.
The witness also disclosed that the EFCC had earlier asked the immigration service to confirm whether an individual named Abdulkadir Lawal was affiliated with the agency, which officials found no record of such a person in the service,after checking the NIS legal department and the staff nominal roll.
He added that a further search conducted through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) equally produced no evidence of anyone bearing that name as an employee of the NIS.
Akim said the EFCC also requested verification of a letter allegedly written by Abdulkadir Lawal on behalf of the immigration service, which the witness noted that the outcome of the investigation indicated that the letter by Lawal was not from the immigration service.
Correspondence between the EFCC and the NIS relating to the investigation was admitted into evidence by the court, while the defense reserve their objections for the final address.
During cross-examination by Ozekhome’s counsel, Oyetibo, the witness stated that he assumed the position of principal staff officer in December 2023 but had been on an overseas posting before July of the same year, noting that Nigeria was fully admitted into the Public Key Directory (PKD) and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) systems, as the country carried out an ICAO upgrade in 2025.
The witness further recalled that the first correspondence the immigration service received from the EFCC during the investigation related to the inquiry about Abdulkadir Lawal.
Defence counsel however requested for additional time to continue the cross-examination.
Justice Oji subsequently adjourned the case to 15th of April for continuation of trial.
(Editor: Roluke Ogundele)
