The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) has withdrawn the three-count criminal charge filed against human rights lawyer, Prof. Mike Ozekhome (SAN), by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The decision was announced on Monday by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), before Justice Peter Kekemeke of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Oyedepo informed the court that after reviewing the case file, the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), directed that the matter be withdrawn for further instructions.
According to the DPPF, the application for withdrawal was made pursuant to Section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
He explained that the AGF’s decision was guided by the need to ensure that the prosecution meets the highest standards of effectiveness, efficiency, diligence and compliance with due process.
Oyedepo added that the Attorney General acted in the public interest to instill confidence, fairness and competence in the criminal justice system, while also considering inter-agency cooperation in the fight against corruption.
He assured the court that the defendant’s rights would be protected and that no party would suffer injustice.
The prosecution subsequently urged the court to take judicial notice of the formal takeover of the case by the Office of the AGF and sought an adjournment to enable the retrieval and review of the case file from the ICPC.
The defence team, led by Paul Erokoro (SAN), did not oppose the application.
In his ruling, Justice Kekemeke struck out the charge marked FCT/HC/CR/010/2026.
“The application having not been objected to is hereby granted. Accordingly, charge No: FCT/HC/CR/010/2026 is hereby withdrawn and struck out,” the judge held.
The ICPC had filed the three-count charge against Ozekhome, accusing him, among other allegations, of forgery and receiving property purportedly linked to corrupt practices.
With the withdrawal, the case has been struck out pending any further action by the Office of the Attorney General.
