Wike, Wife, Children Face Fresh Scrutiny as Sowore Publishes Alleged U.S. Property Records

By: Israel Adeleke

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports that tension is mounting in Nigeria’s political space after former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, published new documents alleging that Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and his wife, Justice Eberechi Suzzette, transferred multiple U.S. properties to their children.

OTN News further reports that Sowore, who has been locked in a war of words with the former Rivers State governor, posted copies of Quit Claim Deeds on his X (formerly Twitter) account, claiming they showed the transfer of three homes in Winter Springs, Florida, to the couple’s children, Jordan, Joaquim, and Jasmyne, in 2023, shortly before Wike left office.

A quit claim deed is a U.S. legal document used to quickly transfer property ownership without guarantees on the validity of the title. While commonly used for family transfers, Sowore argued that such instruments are often exploited by corrupt officials to conceal illicit assets.

“These are the Quit Claim Deeds that Nyesom Ezenwo Wike and his wife, a Court of Appeal judge, used to transfer three Florida properties into the names of their children,” Sowore alleged. He further suggested that the family may control a fourth property in the same area.

OTN News further reports that the activist accused the FCT minister of lying when he previously claimed ignorance of his family’s U.S. properties, calling the transfers a “textbook case of laundering stolen Nigerian wealth into U.S. real estate.” 

Sowore argued that under American law, such transactions could amount to money laundering and attract asset forfeiture under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.

He also linked Wike’s recent absence from the UN General Assembly to health challenges, claiming the minister had planned to travel to London for treatment under the guise of joining President Bola Tinubu’s delegation before Vice President Kashim Shettima was appointed to lead it instead.

OTN News observes that while the allegations have sparked widespread debate, Wike’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, has downplayed the reports, stressing that the minister never denied his wife’s ownership of U.S. properties.

“Someone is sourcing public documents that are readily available on the websites of institutions concerned and making noise about them. The question is, did Wike deny that his wife has properties in the U.S.? No, he didn’t,” Olayinka said in a Facebook post.

OTN News, however, observes that the fresh revelations are expected to fuel further scrutiny of Wike, who has faced criticism since his appointment as FCT minister.