The Attorney General of the Federation(AGF), Prince Lateef Fagbemi has hinted of plans to probe the 11 September tribunal judgement in the United Kingdom involving a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prof. Mike Ozekhome and the late General Jerry Useni over a disputed London property.
A London tribunal blocked a move by Ozekhome to take ownership of a house in North London.
The judgement, delivered on 11 September by Judge Ewan Paton of the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), brings to an end nearly four years of extraordinary courtroom drama, marked by allegations of forgery, impersonation, phantom identities, and conflicting testimonies.
The tribunal established that Useni was the true owner of the disputed property located at 79, Randall Avenue, LondonNW2, purchased in 1993.
Ozekhome’a application to register the property was ordered to be cancelled by the tribunal. It ruled that Tali Shani could not pass ownership because the name was used as a conduit for Useni’s acquisition.
At a special court session to mark the beginning of the Supreme Court’s 2025/2026 Legal Year and the inauguration of 57 SANs on Monday, Fagbemi, who is also the Minister of Justice, expressed concern about the rising number of complaints of professional misconduct against senior lawyers.
He noted that his office receives such complaints frequently.
He said: ‘My office has, in recent times, taken note of the increasing number of complaints against senior members of the bar.
‘Thankfully, these are few and far between, but they still constitute such numbers as to be troubling.
‘The complaints border on professional misconduct and, if not addressed urgently, are capable of bringing this prestigious rank into disrepute locally and, as we have seen recently, internationally.
‘We need to reverse the perception that the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria confers immunity from disciplinary measures for professional misconduct.
‘We simply cannot have a Bar where one law applies to juniors and another to seniors.
‘My Lords, of note is the topical and trending matter that recently struck at the standing of our profession in Nigeria in the eyes of the world and in a way that stands out in recent memory.
‘It bears sadly on the high esteem and integrity that our noble profession commands as a sine qua non for our collective commitment and investment in the legal brand.
‘I am referring to the recent decision (11th September 2025) of an English property tribunal, by Judge Ewan Paton.
‘It will be remiss of me not to bring such an egregious development to the attention of my lords, in the hope that it is addressed frontally against the backdrop of the hallowed rules that guard and define the finest traditions by which our nobility should be measured.
‘It is for this reason that my office has now taken the unusual step of verifying the authenticity of this and often complaints with a view to referring them to the appropriate disciplinary bodies.
‘I look forward to receiving the cooperation of the Nigerian Bar Association and the Body of Senior Advocates in this regard’.
The AGF, who challenged the judiciary to be transparent in its operations, said that ‘it is quite concerning to see the adverse ratings and negative perception indexes of our judiciary’.
He went on: ‘Public confidence in the judiciary has been shaken by perceptions of undue influence, inconsistent rulings, and delays that frustrate justice.
‘Allegations of corruption, though often unproven, cast long shadows.
‘While I agree that the judiciary should be accountable less to public opinion and more to public interest, may I respectfully insist that in this climate, the judiciary should discharge that accountability by being principled, independent and impartial.
‘It must not only deliver justice, it must do so transparently, consistently, and with intellectual rigour.
‘It is therefore the responsibility of everyone present here and beyond to ensure that, like Caesar’s wife, the judiciary is above reproach and suspicion’.
