Wike faces US petition over Florida mansions, possible visa ban
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has been petitioned to United States authorities over the alleged unlawful purchase of multimillion-dollar properties in Florida.
The petition, filed on September 22 by activist Omoyele Sowore through his lawyer Deji Adeyanju, urged the Florida Attorney General, James Uthmeier, to prosecute Mr Wike for money laundering and begin forfeiture proceedings against the assets. It also called for sanctions and visa restrictions to be imposed on the minister.
Citing a September 1 report by Peoples Gazette, Sowore attached three claim deeds as evidence, alleging that Wike and his wife, Justice Eberechi Nyesom-Wike of Nigeria’s Court of Appeal, secretly acquired three lakeside homes in Winter Springs, Seminole County, between 2021 and 2023. The properties, now worth over $6 million, were reportedly transferred to their children Jordan (25), Joaquin (23) and Jazmyne (20).
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The petition listed the homes as 113 Springcreek Lane, purchased for $535,000 and assigned to Jordan; 209 Hertherwood Court, bought for $459,157 and transferred to Joaquin; and 208 Hertherwood Court, acquired for $465,000 and transferred to Jazmyne.
According to Sowore, all the properties were purchased in cash through quitclaim deeds, a legal transfer method often used among family members but vulnerable to abuse in laundering illicit funds. “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 alleged.
The activist also accused the minister of failing to declare the acquisitions to Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau, in breach of the Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, which requires public officers to disclose all assets.
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Sowore further cited possible violations of both state and federal laws in the U.S., including the Florida Money Laundering Act, the Contraband Forfeiture Act, and federal statutes on money laundering.
“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 stated.
Mr Wike, a key ally of President Bola Tinubu and a central figure in delivering Rivers State during the disputed 2023 election, is yet to respond to the allegations.
See below the petition in full, dated September 22, 2025, and signed by Sowore’s lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, Esq.:
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