The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, has fixed Thursday to rule on an application by senior lawyer Mike Ozekhome seeking permission to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.
The application was presented after the prosecution indicated it would not oppose the request.
During proceedings, Justice Chizoba Oji directed the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) to produce the international passports of Ozekhome and his co-defendant after it emerged that the documents had not been deposited with the court as required under their bail conditions.
The judge ordered that the passports be produced without fail after learning that they had remained in the custody of the prosecution instead of being lodged with the court registry following the defendants’ bail in February.
Ozekhome’s counsel, Ferdinand Orbih (SAN), told the court that his client needed to travel abroad for medical care based on the recommendation of a doctor in the UK. He explained that the trip would last about six weeks and assured the court that the passport would be returned within three days of Ozekhome’s return to Nigeria.
The prosecution confirmed it had no objection to the application but informed the court that the passports were in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Although the court initially directed that the documents be produced within an hour, the prosecution returned about two hours later without them, citing difficulties in reaching the investigating officer.
Following the development, the court adjourned the matter until Thursday for the production of the passports and a ruling on the travel request.
Ozekhome and his co-defendant, Ponfa Useni, are standing trial on 12 counts of alleged forgery and impersonation linked to a disputed property in the United Kingdom.
According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly used forged identity documents, including a Nigerian passport bearing the name Tali Shani, in an attempt to claim ownership of the property. They are also accused of creating fraudulent documents and impersonating the property’s purported owner.
Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
During the trial, prosecution witnesses from the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and forensic experts testified that the passport presented as evidence was not issued by the Immigration Service and was found to be fraudulent after forensic examination.
