A whistleblower has filed a petition against Nigeria’s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, accusing him of acquiring multimillion-dollar properties in the United States with illicit funds.

According to the petition addressed to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Wike and his wife, Justice Suzzette Wike of the Court of Appeal, allegedly purchased three lakeside homes in Winter Springs, Seminole County, Florida, worth over $6 million between July 2021 and September 2023. The properties were reportedly acquired in cash before being transferred via quitclaim deeds to their children — Jordan, Joaquin, and Jazmyne.

The whistleblower alleged that the transactions were never declared to Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau and raise “serious money laundering concerns,” given Wike’s decades-long career as a public servant with no verifiable private business.

“These cash-only acquisitions, followed by immediate transfers to his children, raise significant money laundering concerns. The assets were never declared to Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau. Wike’s decades-long career as a politician with no verifiable private enterprise could not justify such wealth,” the petition reads in part.

The petition, which was also copied to the US Department of Justice and the US Ambassador to Nigeria, urged US authorities to investigate, seize the properties under the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, prosecute those involved, and impose a visa ban on Wike.

The listed properties include:

  • 113 Springcreek Lane,

  • 209 Hertherwood Court, and

  • 208 Hertherwood Court,

all in Seminole County, Florida. The whistleblower attached public records and quitclaim deeds to support the claims.

The petition further argued that the acquisitions contravened Florida’s Money Laundering Act (Chapter 896.101, Fla. Stat.), the Contraband Forfeiture Act, and US federal anti-money laundering laws.

Meanwhile, Wike has not publicly responded to the allegations. No official statement has been issued by the minister or his representatives regarding the matter.

Political observers note that the accusations, if substantiated, could present a major test for President Bola Tinubu’s administration, which has repeatedly pledged to fight corruption.