Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has filed a petition with the Florida Attorney General, James Uthmeier, urging an investigation into what he described as the laundering of Nigerian public funds by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Sowore alleged that Wike secretly acquired three residential properties in Winter Springs, Florida. The assets, according to him, are registered in the name of Wike’s wife, Justice Eberechi Suzette Nyesom-Wike of the Nigerian Court of Appeal, and allocated to their children as beneficiaries. He described the arrangement as a deliberate attempt to conceal ownership and disguise illicit wealth.
The petition contends that the property purchases amount to violations of both Nigerian anti-corruption statutes and U.S. financial crime laws. Under Florida legislation, buying or holding real estate with funds traced to unlawful activity qualifies as a first-degree felony, carrying potential penalties of up to 30 years in prison.
Sowore argued that the Florida properties are not an isolated case, but part of a wider pattern of questionable financial dealings linked to Wike. He referenced previous controversies surrounding land and housing projects managed under Wike’s political leadership in Nigeria, portraying the Florida acquisitions as an extension of this trend.
The activist appealed to the Florida Attorney General’s office to act swiftly, insisting that international accountability is necessary when public officials channel wealth abroad through opaque means. He stressed that failure to investigate such claims risks encouraging a cycle of impunity and misuse of public resources.
