Wike Not Above Legislation: Ex-Minister Shittu Says EFCC Will Probe FCT Minister Over Florida Property, Land Grabbing Allegations If Vital

Former Minister of Communications and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Adebayo Shittu, has declared that the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC) maintains the institutional autonomy to research the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, ought to compelling proof of monetary misconduct come up. Talking in a nationwide interview on Sunday, January 25, 2026, Shittu dismissed the notion that any political determine, no matter their standing or relationship with the Presidency, is shielded from authorized scrutiny.

His remarks come amidst intensifying calls from a number of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) for a complete probe right into a myriad of allegations surrounding the FCT Minister, which embody worldwide cash laundering, large land racketeering, and judicial compromise.

CSOs and activists have filed detailed petitions with each Nigerian and U.S. authorities, outlining what they describe as a sample of asset concealment and abuse of energy relationship again to Wike’s tenure as Governor of Rivers State. Particular allegations raised within the petitions to the EFCC and the Florida Legal professional Common embody claims that Wike and his spouse, a serving Nigerian Appeal Court docket Justice, secretly bought three luxurious lakeside properties in Winter Springs, Florida, between 2021 and 2023.

These properties, reportedly valued in extra of $6 million (roughly ₦9.6 billion), had been allegedly transferred to their kids in all-cash transactions utilizing obscure quitclaim deeds, elevating vital cash laundering considerations beneath U.S. regulation and Nigeria’s code of conduct rules.

Moreover, Wike is accused of allocating hundreds of hectares of prime Abuja land to members of the family and associates instantly upon assuming his ministerial position. Paperwork offered by whistleblowers allegedly present land allocations in high-value districts to his 90-year-old father and several other brothers by means of shell firms, usually with statutory processing charges drastically lower or completely unpaid.

Shittu clarified that the EFCC operates as an impartial establishment pushed solely by details and verifiable proof somewhat than political sentiments. He rejected claims usually made by the opposition that the Presidency is shielding the FCT Minister from scrutiny, insisting that President Bola Tinubu has granted anti-corruption businesses a free hand to function with out worry or favor. “If it turns into crucial, the EFCC will do its job,” Shittu said. “If there are petitions and proof, no one is just too huge to be investigated. President Tinubu has given the anti-corruption businesses a free hand to function.”

The demand for transparency has surged in current weeks, with varied coalition teams calling for a forensic audit of the asset declarations of high-ranking public officers. Whereas Mr. Wike’s associates have persistently dismissed these allegations as politically motivated assaults from the opposition aimed toward distracting the Minister from his mandate in Abuja, Shittu maintained that the credibility of the APC-led authorities rests on the equal utility of the regulation.

The previous minister concluded by reaffirming that the administration’s “Renewed Hope” agenda features a strong dedication to accountability. The dealing with of those high-profile allegations is extensively seen as an important litmus take a look at for the independence and credibility of Nigeria’s anti-corruption establishments.