Nigeria’s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has been dragged before the United States government over the alleged unlawful acquisition of multimillion-dollar properties in Florida, raising the prospect of sanctions and a visa ban.
In a petition dated September 22, 2025, activist Omoyele Sowore, through his lawyer Deji Adeyanju, asked Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier to prosecute Mr. Wike for alleged money laundering and initiate forfeiture proceedings against three luxury properties reportedly linked to him.
The petition also urged U.S. authorities to impose a visa ban on the minister and his family.
Alleged Hidden Mansions
The petition, citing a September 1 investigation by Peoples Gazette and supported with three claim deeds, alleged that Mr. Wike, with the assistance of his wife, Justice Eberechi Nyesom-Wike of Nigeria’s Court of Appeal, secretly purchased lakeside homes in Winter Springs, Seminole County between 2021 and 2023.
The properties, now valued at more than $6 million, were allegedly transferred to their three children:
-
113 Springcreek Lane — bought for $535,000 and transferred to Jordan (25).
-
209 Hertherwood Court — bought for $459,157 and transferred to Joaquin (23).
-
208 Hertherwood Court — bought for $465,000 and transferred to Jazmyne (20).
All three acquisitions were reportedly made in cash via quitclaim deeds, a transfer method often used in family arrangements but vulnerable to abuse in concealing illicit funds.
Sowore’s Allegations
“These transactions, executed in cash and hidden under the names of his children, form a deliberate scheme to launder the proceeds of corruption into U.S. real estate,” the petition read.
Mr. Sowore further alleged that the properties were never declared to Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), in violation of the Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates asset disclosure by public officials.
He also cited U.S. and Florida laws that may have been breached, including:
-
Florida Money Laundering Act (§896.101, Fla. Stat.)
-
Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act (§932.701–707, Fla. Stat.)
-
U.S. federal money laundering statutes (18 U.S.C. §1956 and §1957)
“This brazen conduct, combined with his unexplained foreign acquisitions, suggests that Florida is being used as a safe haven for laundering the proceeds of corruption,” the petition added.
Mr. Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, is regarded as one of President Bola Tinubu’s most trusted ministers and was pivotal in delivering Rivers State during the controversial 2023 general elections.
The latest allegations are likely to trigger political ripples in Abuja, especially as they come amid heightened scrutiny of the Tinubu administration’s inner circle.
