Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has revealed that steps are underway to secure an international 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 alleged money laundering.
Sowore, in a statement posted on Monday, accused Wike of using stolen public funds to acquire luxury mansions for his family in Florida, U.S. “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 said.
This development follows a petition filed on September 22, 2025, by Sowore through his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, urging Florida Attorney General, James Uthmeier, to prosecute Wike for alleged money laundering and to initiate forfeiture proceedings against his alleged assets.
The petition 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, 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. Advertisements 209 Hertherwood Court — purchased for $459,157 and transferred to Joaquin.
208 Hertherwood Court — purchased for $465,000 and transferred to Jazmyne.
Sowore alleged that the properties were acquired in cash through quitclaim deeds, a process often used in family transfers but susceptible to abuse in laundering illicit funds.
He further accused Wike of failing to declare the foreign assets to Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau, in violation of the 1999 Constitution.
The petition cited several legal provisions allegedly breached, including the Florida Money Laundering Act (§896.101), the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act (§932.701–707), as well as 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, who served two terms as governor of Rivers State, is regarded as one of President Bola Tinubu’s most influential ministers and a key ally credited with delivering Rivers during the disputed 2023 general elections.
As of press time, Wike has not issued any official response to the allegations