Nigerian activist and former presidential hopeful, Omoyele Sowore, has asked the Attorney General of Florida in the United States to open an investigation into Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, over an alleged purchase of property in the state. He claims the transaction breaches Florida’s anti-money-laundering and property-ownership laws.
Sowore, referencing a recent U.S. court ruling that dismissed former President Donald Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, said the judgment demonstrates how accountability works in the American justice system — a contrast, he argued, to Nigeria, where politicians often influence court processes.
According to Sowore, Wike allegedly paid cash for a Florida mansion but publicly said the property was bought by his in-laws for his wife and children. Sowore contends this amounts to concealing ownership because Wike’s wife is a serving judge at Nigeria’s Court of Appeal.
“Florida prohibits anyone who has stolen or laundered money from using it to buy property. This conduct falls under the state’s law on trafficking in stolen property — a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison,” Sowore wrote on social media.
He added that the alleged Florida deal reflects Wike’s controversial land acquisitions in Abuja and urged Florida’s Attorney General to act swiftly, insisting that state statutes “directly forbid” such financial practices.
Sowore concluded that while Wike may have secured land and property in Nigeria, he “cannot avoid accountability” for what he described as a $2 million Florida mansion acquired through improper means.
