Forgery Trial: Ozekhome secures prosecution’s backing for foreign travel bid, judge rules Thursday

Senior lawyer Mike Ozekhome is seeking permission to travel to the United Kingdom for medical reasons, with the prosecution agreeing not to oppose his application. However, the FCT High Court in Abuja has set Thursday for a ruling after it emerged that Ozekhome's passport, along with that of his co-defendant, had not been deposited with the court as required by bail conditions.

Trial judge Chizoba Oji ordered the Attorney General of the Federation's office to produce the passports, noting that they had been withheld by the prosecution. Ozekhome and his co-defendant, Ponfa Useni, were arraigned in February on 12 counts of forgery and impersonation stemming from a dispute over a property in the UK. They were each granted bail of N10 million, with the condition of submitting their passports to the court.

During the hearing, Ozekhome's lawyer, Ferdinand Orbih, informed the court of his client's need to travel for medical treatment based on a UK doctor's recommendation. The trip was expected to last six weeks, with a promise to return the passport within three days of his arrival back in Nigeria. The prosecution lawyer, Aisha Tahir, initially did not oppose the application. However, difficulties in reaching the investigation officer led to a delay in producing the passports, prompting the judge to adjourn the matter.

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unfailingly produce the two international passports to the court as directed.