Human rights activist and #RevolutionNow convener, Omoyele Sowore, has petitioned the Florida Attorney General, James Uthmeier, accusing Nigeria’s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, of laundering public funds to acquire properties in the United States.
In a statement shared on social media, Sowore said he had formally notified the Attorney General’s Office about what he called “first-class felonies” involving the trafficking of illicit wealth into Florida real estate.
According to Sowore, three properties in Winter Springs, Florida, were traced to Wike but registered under the name of his wife, Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike, a serving judge at Nigeria’s Court of Appeal. He alleged that the properties were further distributed among Wike’s children to disguise their alleged illicit origin.
“There may be even more properties, but we are making progress,” Sowore said. “We have already contacted the Florida Attorney General’s office to alert them that Nyesom Ezenwo Wike – CON, GSSRS – laundered stolen public funds to buy and traffic properties in their state.”
Sowore, a consistent critic of government corruption, noted that laundering illicit wealth across borders violates both Nigerian and U.S. laws, stressing that such crimes attract severe legal penalties in the U.S. He vowed to pursue the matter until accountability is enforced.
This petition comes amid an ongoing public war of words between Sowore and Wike. Just days earlier, Wike dismissed rumours of ill health after returning from a foreign trip, describing his journey as his first vacation since taking office. He also took a swipe at critics like Sowore, warning that only President Bola Tinubu’s tolerance has allowed them to speak freely.
In response, Sowore argued that Wike should be facing trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) rather than holding public office.
Meanwhile, Sowore is currently in a legal tussle with Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) over attempts to force social media platforms to delete some of his posts. He has filed a lawsuit challenging the DSS’s actions as a violation of his constitutional rights to free expression.
