The corrupt corruption levelled against the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, by politician and activist, Omoyele Sowore, may have taken a turn for the worse for the minister following the U.S. warning that it will no longer issue visas to corrupt Nigerian officials.

The U.S. which declared that henceforth, corrupt Nigerian government officials will face visa restrictions, reiterated that there is no limit on accountability.

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria gave the warning in a statement released on Monday via its official X handle.

?Fighting corruption knows no borders or limits on accountability. Even when high-profile individuals engage in corruption, they can be barred from receiving U.S. visas,? the Mission stated.

The warning comes just hours after Sowore petitioned U.S. authorities over alleged unlawful acquisition of multimillion-dollar properties in Florida by Wike, who is also the immediate past governor of Rivers State.

Sowore, in a petition dated September 22, 2025, asked the Florida attorney general, James Uthmeier, to prosecute Wike for alleged money laundering and to initiate forfeiture proceedings against the assets. The petition, signed by his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, also urged U.S. authorities to impose sanctions and visa bans on the minister.

Citing Peoples Gazette?s September 1 report and backed with three claim deeds as exhibits, the petition alleged that Wike, with the assistance of his wife, Justice Eberechi Nyesom-Wike of Nigeria?s Court of Appeal, secretly purchased three luxury lakeside homes in Winter Springs, Seminole County, between 2021 and 2023.

The properties, now valued at over $6 million, were said to have been transferred to their children ? Jordan, 25, Joaquin, 23, and Jazmyne, 20.

They include a 5,000 sq. ft. residence at 113 Springcreek Lane bought for $535,000 and transferred to Jordan Wike (25); a 3,401 sq. ft. home at 209 Hertherwood Court acquired for $459,157 and transferred to Joaquin Wike (23); and a 3,901 sq. ft. house at 208 Hertherwood Court purchased for $465,000 and transferred to Jazmyne Wike (20).

All transactions were reportedly carried out in cash through quitclaim deeds, a method often used for family transfers but, according to the petition, deliberately employed to conceal ownership and evade oversight.

?These transactions, executed in cash and hidden under the names of his children, form a deliberate scheme to launder the proceeds of corruption into U.S. real estate,? the petition stated.

Several U.S. and Florida statutes were also cited as having been breached, including the Florida Money Laundering Act (?896.101, Fla. Stat.), the Contraband Forfeiture Act (?932.701?707, Fla. Stat.), and federal laws on money laundering (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 added.

Sowore claimed the transactions were structured to conceal illicit funds, stressing that Wike?s legitimate earnings since joining public service in 1999 could not sustain such multi-million-dollar acquisitions.

He further alleged that Wike failed to declare the properties to Nigeria?s Code of Conduct Bureau, in violation of the Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution.

Citing U.S. and Florida anti-money laundering laws, Sowore described the acquisitions as a ?deliberate scheme to launder the proceeds of corruption into U.S. real estate.?

He also referenced the U.S. Department of Justice?s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, which targets foreign officials who launder public wealth into American properties, urging U.S. authorities to act.

?Although the named grantor in the quitclaim deeds is his wife, Honourable Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike, it is evident that the acquisitions and subsequent transfers to their children were undertaken in concert with her husband,? the petition alleged.

As at the time of going to press, neither Wike nor his office is yet to respond to the breaking story. (The Niche)

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