By The report revealed that Mr Wike, the immediate former Rivers State governor, since assuming office in August 2023, signed off on over 2,000 hectares of prime real estate to his son.
Former Rivers State governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike
Quit Claim Deeds Show Wike and Wife Transferred Florida Properties to Children
Quit Claim Deeds obtained by SaharaReporters show that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and his wife, Justice Eberechi Suzette Nyesom-Wike of the Court of Appeal, transferred ownership of their Florida properties into the names of their children between 2021 and 2023.
President Bola Tinubu appointed Wike as FCT Minister in August 2023. Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore shared the deeds on his verified X account, indicating that the transfers were executed on July 22, 2021, July 27, 2021, and August 13, 2023.
2021 Transfers
A Quit Claim Deed dated July 22, 2021, shows Justice Eberechi Nyesom-Wike, of 653 Dunblane Drive, Winter Park, Florida, transferring ownership of a property to herself and her son, Joaquin Chibuike Nyesom-Wike, as joint tenants with right of survivorship. The grantees’ address was listed as 113 Spring Creek Lane, Winter Springs, Florida.
Another deed dated July 27, 2021, shows Eberechi transferring a separate property in Seminole County, Florida, to herself and her son, Jordan Ezenwo Nyesom-Wike, under the same joint tenancy arrangement. The transaction was recorded for a consideration of ten dollars ($10) and other valuable considerations.
The property is identified as Lot 54, The Reserve at Tuscawilla, Phase II, as recorded in Plat Book 50, Pages 5–9, of the Public Records of Seminole County. The deed also specifies that the property has never been the homestead of the grantor, her spouse, or dependents, nor is it contiguous to any homestead.
2023 Transfer
On August 13, 2023, Justice Eberechi Nyesom-Wike executed another Quit Claim Deed, transferring ownership of a Seminole County property to herself and her daughter, Jazmyne Adaeze Nyesom-Wike. The grantee’s address was also listed as 113 Spring Creek Lane, Winter Springs, Florida.
The property is described as Lot 57, The Reserve at Tuscawilla, Phase II, recorded in Plat Book 50, Pages 5–9, with Parcel Identification Number 06-21-91. Like the earlier deeds, it states that the property is not, and has never been, the homestead of the grantor, her spouse, or dependents.
Legal Filing
All deeds were prepared, witnessed, and filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller of Seminole County, Florida, ensuring the legal transfer of ownership.
Sowore Exposes Wike’s Florida Property Transfers, Calls Them a ‘Textbook Case of Corruption’
Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has accused Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike and his wife, Justice Eberechi Suzette Nyesom-Wike of the Court of Appeal, of using U.S. property laws to conceal illicit wealth. Sowore shared Quit Claim Deeds showing that between 2021 and 2023, the couple transferred three Florida properties into the names of their children, Jordan, Joaquim, and Jazmyne.
“These are the Quit Claim Deeds that Nigeria’s FCT Minister, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, and his wife, a Court of Appeal judge, used to transfer three different Florida properties into the names of their children,” Sowore wrote. “These transfers were done in 2023, but Mr. International Thief said he was not aware.”
Sowore said the documents prove that Wike also has a fourth property in Florida at 113 Spring Creek Lane, Winter Springs. He linked the transfers to Wike’s recent denial on Channels Television, where the minister claimed ignorance of his family’s foreign property holdings.
The activist also alleged that Wike has been struggling with health issues, including a chest infection, which recently kept him in London for two weeks. According to Sowore, Wike initially planned to disguise further medical treatment as participation in the United Nations General Assembly but backed out after Vice President Kashim Shettima was named to lead Nigeria’s delegation.
“There is no hiding place anymore,” Sowore declared.
Why Quit Claim Deeds Are Misused
Sowore explained that Quit Claim Deeds are commonly used in the U.S. for routine family transfers, such as adding a spouse to a title or passing property to children. Unlike warranty deeds, they make no guarantees about the validity of the title and are often completed quickly with little scrutiny.
“Because they bypass warranties and detailed title checks, they are cheap, quick, and often escape close scrutiny,” Sowore said. “But this simplicity is exactly why kleptocrats love them. Corrupt officials exploit quit claim deeds to launder stolen wealth.”
He argued that the Wike family’s use of the deeds fits into a broader pattern of hiding stolen funds: “On paper, the transactions appear to be ordinary family planning. In reality, they are deliberate strategies to conceal the original source of illicit funds. No public sale, no market-value exchange, no visible money trail—just quiet concealment beneath harmless-looking paperwork.”
Potential U.S. Legal Consequences
Sowore warned that the transfers may expose Wike and his family to prosecution in the United States.
“Under U.S. law, such transactions amount to money laundering and trafficking in stolen property, serious crimes punishable under both state and federal statutes,” he said. “They are also subject to asset seizure and forfeiture under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.”
Nigerian human rights activist and 2023 AAC presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore exposes FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s $2 million property laundering scheme in Florida.
Pattern of Alleged Abuses in Nigeria
Sowore’s revelations come on the heels of separate allegations reported by the Peoples Gazette, which accused Wike of abusing his office since becoming FCT Minister in August 2023. According to the outlet, Wike allocated over 2,000 hectares of prime Abuja land—worth an estimated $3.6 billion—to his son, Joaquin.
The report claimed that Wike bypassed regulations and avoided key payments in making the allocations, in violation of Nigeria’s Constitution and civil service ethics. It further alleged that additional parcels of prime land in Maitama, Asokoro, Guzape, Bwari, and Gaduwa were allocated to his family and political allies.
“This explains why Wike boasted on Channels Television that he ‘didn’t know’ his wife and children owned mansions in the United States,” Sowore concluded. “But the international thief has now been caught in his own web of lies.”
According to documents obtained by Peoples Gazette, Nyesom Wike signed 33 approvals for land allocations to his family members and associates, including his 90-year-old father, Joshua Nlemanya Wike, who was granted a plot in Guzape II valued at N400 million.
The approvals, dated July 16, 2025, also covered allocations to Wike’s paternal cousin, Believe Wike; his nephews, Victor and Henry Wike; and another cousin, Enwusonye Promise Wike. In addition, eight relatives of James Hunwo reportedly received individual plots on the same day.
This is not the first time the minister has faced such allegations. In April 2025, reports revealed that six of his siblings had also benefited from allocations in Guzape II. They were identified as Vincent Ejike Wike, Chidi Sam Wike, Chituru Wike, Christian Ibebulachi Wike, Collins Ngeme Wike, and Emmanuel Okanwene Wike. Wike has consistently denied the allegations.
Further revelations emerged in August 2025, when investigative outlet West Africa Weekly reported that Wike secretly acquired a $2 million mansion in Florida. Ownership of the property was concealed by registering it in the names of his wife, Justice Eberechi Wike, and their three children—Joaquin, Jazmyne, and Jordan.
Documents reviewed by the publication indicate that Justice Wike is a registered member of the U.S. Democratic Party, a status that contravenes Nigeria’s Judicial Code of Conduct, which prohibits judges from political affiliations.
Public records in the United States show that the property, located at 113 Spring Creek Lane, Winter Springs, Florida, was purchased in March 2025. The two-storey mansion, built in 1997, sits on a 4,076-square-foot lot and includes multiple bedrooms, a garage, and two parking spaces.
Nigeria’s FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and his wife, Eberechi Suzette Nyesom-Wike, a Court of Appeal judge.
A source familiar with the transaction told West Africa Weekly that Wike deliberately omitted his name from the purchase, using his wife and children to shield himself from scrutiny over asset declarations and questions about the source of funds.
The report also noted that with an official annual salary and allowances of about N7.8 million—roughly $5,000—Wike could not have legitimately afforded the property without resorting to public resources.
Activist Omoyele Sowore has since petitioned the Office of the Attorney General of Florida, James Uthmeier, alleging that Wike laundered public funds to acquire properties in the United States. Sowore said the petition was intended to alert U.S. authorities to “first-class felonies” involving the trafficking of illicit wealth into American real estate.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Nyesom Wike as FCT Minister following the completion of Wike’s two-term tenure as Rivers State governor. Observers believe the appointment was partly a reward for Wike’s support of Tinubu’s political ambitions, even against his own party.
