How Wike Secretly Transferred Undeclared U.S. Mansions to His Children

Former Rivers State governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, quietly transferred ownership of three multimillion-dollar properties in the United States to his children, documents obtained by Peoples Gazette have revealed.

The homes, located in the Reserve at Tuscawilla, a secluded lakeside community in Winter Springs, Florida, were originally purchased in cash before being reassigned through quitclaim deeds executed by Mr. Wike’s wife, Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike of the Court of Appeal. Each property was transferred to one of their three children: Jordan, 25; Joaquin, 23; and Jazymine, 20.

The transactions took place between July 2021 and September 2023, with records showing deliberate efforts to shield the assets from public scrutiny. For example, on July 22, 2021, while still governor of Rivers State, Mr. Wike used his wife to quietly transfer a $535,000 mansion at 113 Springcreek Lane to their eldest son. On the same day, another $459,157 property was moved to Joaquin. Two years later, in September 2023, just as Mr. Wike assumed office as FCT minister under President Bola Tinubu, a third home valued at $465,000 was transferred to their daughter, Jazymine.

All three purchases were made with cash, a method that avoids mortgage filings and banking oversight. Experts say this is a common practice for hiding illicit wealth, since it leaves little financial trail. The properties are now each worth more than \$2 million, secured under “joint tenancy with rights of survivorship,” a legal arrangement that locks ownership within the family and circumvents inheritance courts.

According to Peoples Gazette, the funds used for these acquisitions were allegedly siphoned from fictitious public contracts during Mr. Wike’s time as Chief of Staff to then-Governor Rotimi Amaechi. Despite clear constitutional requirements for ministers and other public officials to declare both domestic and foreign assets, the Florida estates were never disclosed.

Requests for comment from Mr. Wike and his wife went unanswered. The National Judicial Council, which oversees judges, said issues of asset declaration fall outside its jurisdiction. The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have also remained silent on the matter.

This revelation is the latest in a string of corruption allegations against the outspoken politician. Earlier this year, Peoples Gazette reported how Mr. Wike allocated prime Abuja lands worth billions of naira to his sons and relatives while facing public criticism. The pattern, analysts say, highlights his long history of using political influence to build secret wealth abroad, even as pensioners in his home state complain of unpaid entitlements and key infrastructure projects decay.