Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has revealed that moves are underway to secure an international arrest warrant that could lead to the arrest and extradition of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to the United States over allegations of money laundering.
In a statement posted on Monday, Sowore accused Wike of using stolen public funds to acquire luxury mansions for his family in Florida. “We hope Nigeria’s FCT Minister, @GovWike, won’t escape accountability. Steps are already in motion toward securing an international warrant that could see him arrested and extradited to the U.S. to face money laundering charges sooner than he thinks,” Sowore stated.
This revelation follows a petition filed on September 22, 2025, by Sowore through his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, to the Florida Attorney General, James Uthmeier. The petition urged Uthmeier to prosecute Wike for alleged money laundering and initiate forfeiture proceedings against his alleged U.S. assets. It also called for sanctions and visa restrictions against the minister.
According to the petition, Wike and his wife, Justice Eberechi Nyesom-Wike of the Court of Appeal, allegedly acquired three multimillion-dollar lakeside homes in Winter Springs, Seminole County, Florida, between 2021 and 2023. The properties—now valued at over $6 million—were allegedly transferred to their three children: Jordan (25), Joaquin (23), and Jazmyne (20).
The identified homes include:
- 113 Springcreek Lane – purchased for $535,000 and transferred to Jordan.
- 209 Hertherwood Court – purchased for $459,157 and transferred to Joaquin.
- 208 Hertherwood Court – purchased for $465,000 and transferred to Jazmyne.
Sowore claimed the properties were acquired in cash through quitclaim deeds, a method often used in family transfers but vulnerable to abuse for laundering illicit funds. He further alleged that Wike failed to declare these foreign assets to Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau, violating the 1999 Constitution.
The petition cited multiple U.S. and Florida laws allegedly breached, including the Florida Money Laundering Act (§896.101), the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act (§932.701–707), and U.S. federal money laundering statutes (18 U.S.C. §1956 and §1957). “This brazen conduct, combined with his unexplained foreign acquisitions, suggests that Florida is being used as a safe haven for laundering the proceeds of corruption,” the petition stated.
Wike, a two-term former governor of Rivers State and a key ally of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is one of the most influential figures in the current administration. He is credited with delivering Rivers State during the disputed 2023 general elections.
As of press time, neither Wike nor the Nigerian government had issued an official response to the allegations or the petition seeking his prosecution and extradition.
