Former presidential candidate and activist Omoyele Sowore has filed a petition with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, seeking the forfeiture and prosecution of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike over alleged illicit property acquisitions in the United States
According to the petition, dated September 22, 2025, and signed by Sowore’s lawyer Deji Adeyanju, Wike is accused of secretly purchasing multi-million-dollar real estate in Florida through cash transactions meant to obscure the source of the funds.
The petition claims that Wike, a former Rivers State Governor, and his wife, Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike of Nigeria’s Court of Appeal, bought three luxury lakeside homes in Winter Springs, Seminole County, Florida, valued at over $6 million. The properties listed include:
- 113 Springcreek Lane – 5,000 sq. ft., purchased for $535,000 in cash and transferred to Jordan Wike (25)
- 209 Hertherwood Court – 3,401 sq. ft., purchased for $459,157 in cash and transferred to Joaquin Wike (23)
- 208 Hertherwood Court – 3,901 sq. ft., purchased for $465,000 in cash and transferred to Jazmyne Wike (20)
The petition alleges the acquisitions, carried out via quitclaim deeds between July 2021 and September 2023, bypassed banking oversight, raising “serious money laundering concerns.” It also claims Wike failed to declare these foreign assets to Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau as required by law.
Sowore’s lawyers argued that Wike’s official income since 1999 could not support such multi-million-dollar purchases. They cited violations of Florida state law and U.S. federal anti-money laundering statutes, including the Florida Money Laundering Act (Chapter 896.101), the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act, and federal laws under 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956 and 1957. The petition also referenced the U.S. Department of Justice’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.
The petition states, “Although the named grantor in the quitclaim deeds is his wife, Honourable Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike, it is evident that the acquisitions and subsequent transfers to their children were undertaken in concert with her husband.” It adds that her judicial salary could not reasonably account for such luxury purchases.
Beyond Florida, Sowore accused Wike of “large-scale land grabs” in Abuja, allegedly allocating over 3,800 hectares valued at $6.45 billion to his children via shell companies and proxies. The petition describes these Florida acquisitions as part of a broader pattern of corruption throughout Wike’s career.
Sowore urged the Florida Attorney General to investigate the source of the funds, initiate forfeiture proceedings on the Seminole County properties, prosecute all parties involved, and impose visa bans or sanctions to prevent further misuse of U.S. territory.
Adeyanju said Sowore is prepared to provide additional documents, testimony, and collaborate with U.S.-based counsel. The petition was also copied to the U.S. Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard M. Mills Jr. Reports from Peoples Gazette and quitclaim deeds showing the property transfers were attached.
“The people of Nigeria have been impoverished for decades by the diversion of public funds,” the petition stated. “It would be a perversion of justice if those funds, siphoned through abuse of office, are allowed to flourish in Florida’s real estate market.”
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