Sowore Tackles Wike Over Florida Property Purchase, Asks US Attorney-General To Begin Probe As FCT Minister Risks 30 Years Jail

Nigerian human rights campaigner, Omoyele Sowore, has taken aim at the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over an alleged property purchase in Florida, insisting that the transaction could expose the minister to a 30-year jail term under United States law.

Sowore, who is also the publisher of SaharaReporters, made reference to a recent ruling in the United States where a $15 billion defamation suit filed by former President Donald Trump against the New York Times was dismissed. He said the judgment was a clear demonstration of how the justice system in the U.S. operates independently, unlike in Nigeria where, according to him, political leaders often manipulate the courts.

The activist accused Wike, whom he described as an “international thief,” of acquiring the Florida mansion in cash while disguising the purchase under the names of his in-laws. He alleged that Wike had claimed the property was bought for his wife and children, a move Sowore described as an illegal concealment of ownership since Wike’s wife is a serving Justice of the Court of Appeal in Nigeria.

Sowore argued that Florida law forbids anyone who has stolen or laundered money from using such proceeds to acquire property in the state. He insisted that the alleged deal falls directly under the statute criminalising trafficking in stolen property, which is considered a first-degree felony in Florida and attracts a sentence of up to three decades in prison.

Calling on the Florida Attorney General to take up the matter, Sowore stressed that Wike’s actions amounted to “money laundering and property trafficking crimes” on U.S. soil. He linked the allegations to Wike’s controversial land allocations in Abuja, arguing that the minister’s questionable acquisitions at home and abroad follow the same pattern.

According to him, “Florida State law prohibits anyone who has stolen or laundered money from using it to purchase property. International thief @GovWike bought the mansion in cash but claimed his ‘in-laws’ purchased it for his wife and children. He’s about to find out in a very hard way!

“Florida’s Attorney General @AGJamesUthmeier must be alerted that money laundering and property trafficking crimes have occurred in his state. Several statutes directly prohibit this type of criminal conduct, and Nigeria’s FCT Minister @GovWike is about to learn that.”

Sowore further alleged that Wike deliberately placed the Florida property under the names of his children and wife in order to mask his ownership. He maintained that such concealment is illegal, especially because Wike’s wife holds a judicial office in Nigeria.

He added, “Wike’s crimes fall squarely under organising or directing trafficking in stolen property, a first-degree felony under Florida Statute §812.019, which is punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

“Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, Nigeria’s FCT Minister, may have grabbed land in Abuja for his family, but he cannot escape accountability for the $2 million mansion illegally acquired in Florida. That property deal amounts to trafficking in stolen assets under U.S. law.”

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