•EFCC silent
•Suspend Wike now, Timi Frank, others urge Tinubu
•Opposition to FCT Minister intensifies
Barely had the controversy over alleged illegal land allocations to his children begun to subsidedismissed by Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike as a smear campaign by political enemiesfresh allegations have surfaced accusing the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory of acquiring properties in Florida, USA. According to reports, the assets were allegedly registered in the names of his wife and children to conceal ownership, LAWAL IBUKUNOLUWA writes.
In what observers liken to a real-life echo of Anezi Okoros 1972 novel, One Week One Trouble, Wike finds himself embroiled in yet another corruption scandal. The former Rivers State governor, now FCT minister, is accused of secretly purchasing several properties in Winter Springs, Florida. Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore alleged that the assets were hidden under the name of his wife, Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike, a serving judge of the Court of Appeal in Nigeria, and distributed among their children.
Sowore further disclosed that he had petitioned the Attorney General of Florida, James Uthmeier, over what he described as the laundering of stolen funds into real estate.
He claimed that at least three properties had been traced to the family, insisting there could be more. It turns out that international thief Nyesom Wike has three different properties in Winter Springs, Florida. All of them were hidden under the name of his wife, Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike, who also serves as a Court of Appeal judge in Nigeria, and shared out to his children.
There may be even more properties, but we are making progress. We have already contacted the Office of the Attorney General of Florida, James Uthmeier to notify them that Nyesom Ezenwo Wike CON, GSSRS has laundered stolen funds (proceeds of crime) to purchase and traffic properties in their state, which are first-class felonies.
Florida law criminalises the acquisition of property using stolen funds, categorising it as a felony punishable by heavy fines and imprisonment. If proven, such conduct could amount to trafficking in stolen property, a second-degree felony under state statutes.
Meanwhile, civil society groups are mobilising to stage mass protests in Florida to demand an investigation and possible prosecution of the Minister and his wife. Enough is enough, said Janet White, a Nigerian resident in Texas, who vowed to travel to Florida to join the demonstrations. She expressed frustration over the global ridicule Nigerians face because of corruption scandals involving public officials, insisting that Nigerians in the diaspora would escalate the campaign until accountability is enforced at home and abroad.
You see, I am prepared to take the three-hour flight from Dallas, Texas where I reside, to Florida to make sure I fully participate in this forthcoming protest.
Although I have resided in the US for over 15 years now, but Nigeria is my country and I am a full-fledged Nigerian so it really hurts me whenever I am mocked about happenings in my country, after all I shall eventually return home to my family and to my people. So for how long will all these anomalies continue while we fold our hands and watch? This time, it shall no longer be business as usual because we believe that once we begin in Florida, Nigerians in the diaspora residing in other lands across Europe and the Americas will take a cue from there, and when our brothers and sisters back home also take it up, not only will the authorities in the Us, but even the Tinubu administration with its Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, shall immediately do the needful. Enough is enough! she said.
Amid mounting pressure, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Timi Frank, urged President Bola Tinubu to suspend Wike immediately pending investigation.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Frank argued that the Presidents silence risked undermining his administrations anti-corruption stance, pointing to the swift suspension of former minister Betta Edu over comparatively lesser allegations. He warned that shielding Wike because of political considerations tied to the 2027 elections would damage Nigerias international reputation and erode public trust.
Similarly, the Northern Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN, has called on Wike to step aside. In a statement signed by its President, Isah Abubakar, the group declared that a minister entrusted with public resources should not be implicated in questionable overseas property acquisitions. It stressed that while the allegations remain unproven, their gravity warrants thorough and independent investigation.
The NYCN also cited ongoing litigation by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, against Wike over unaccounted federal allocations and loans during his tenure as Rivers State governor. Though unresolved in court, these cases, alongside the Florida allegations, paint a troubling picture of persistent questions surrounding his financial probity.
“President Tinubu must set a standard for all cabinet members to avoid corruption and to prevent any activities that cast a negative shadow on his government,” said Isah Abubakar.
“It is our view that a minister, entrusted with public funds, should not be acquiring vast properties in the USA. This raises serious questions about the source of such immense wealth and whether it is a product of legitimate earnings.”
The Council emphasised that stepping aside does not amount to an admission of guilt but is essential to preserve the integrity of government and ensure the credibility of investigations. It urged President Tinubu to demonstrate that his Renewed Hope agenda is more than rhetoric by acting decisively against corruption, regardless of political alliances.​
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