Wike’s Son Faces EFCC Petition Over Alleged $2.1m Land Deal

Two claimants have asked Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Jordan Nyesom-Wike, son of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, over an alleged $2.1 million land transaction in Abuja, as a related civil case continues at the FCT High Court.

The petitioners, businessman Safwan Garba and GY Global Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited, accuse Jordan of fraud, obtaining money by false pretences, criminal misappropriation and conversion. They allege that he promised to facilitate the allocation of 60 hectares of land in the capital in exchange for the money but failed to deliver on the arrangement.

The latest appeal to the anti-graft agency was disclosed by the claimants’ lawyers in Abuja on Monday, October 19. Their counsel, Ibrahim Waru, said the EFCC had acknowledged receipt of the petition but had not taken action satisfactory to his clients. The allegation of inaction is the claimants’ account; the commission had not publicly provided a detailed response in the reports reviewed.

According to a petition dated December 11, 2025, Jordan allegedly represented that he could secure 30 hectares in Katampe and another 30 hectares in Guzape, two districts in the FCT. The claimants said he told Garba that he routinely facilitated land allocations and had the knowledge and approval of his father, who oversees the territory’s administration.

The petition further alleges that Jordan asked for $2 million, purportedly to facilitate the allocations through his father, and received an additional $100,000 as a personal facilitation fee. The claimants say the total of $2.1 million was paid in cash and that an acknowledgement document was signed. These assertions remain allegations and have not been established by a court.

The precise date of the alleged payment differs across published accounts. The petition details reported by TheCable refer to October 17, 2025, while earlier court reporting by Punch identified September 26, 2025, as the date the claimants said the money changed hands. Jordan has disputed the account of the transaction altogether.

The dispute is already before the FCT High Court in Abuja in suit CV/008/2026, where Garba and his company are seeking to recover the money. Jordan has denied receiving the funds or entering into the alleged land arrangement, telling the court that he was outside Nigeria on the date cited by the claimants.

During proceedings in September, Jordan tendered his American passport in support of his account and challenged the authenticity of a document bearing a signature attributed to him. He maintained that the signature was forged and denied knowing a man identified by the claimants as Onor Sandy, whom they said accompanied him during the transaction.

The claimants’ account is that the proposed venture involved acquiring land in Katampe and Guzape for a real estate development. They say the project failed to materialise after the money was paid and that their attempts to recover the funds were unsuccessful, prompting the civil action as well as the request for a criminal investigation.

In a separate development, the claimants’ lawyer has asked the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court to reassign the civil case, citing concerns about a possible perception of bias arising from alleged community and family connections between the presiding judge and Jordan. The lawyer said the request was not an allegation of actual bias or professional misconduct against the judge. The application remains distinct from the substantive dispute over the money.

The EFCC petition seeks an investigation into whether the alleged transaction involved criminal conduct. Filing a petition does not establish that an offence occurred, and no finding of criminal liability against Jordan has been reported in connection with the allegations. The civil proceedings are scheduled to continue in December.

The case raises questions about the use of personal connections and claims of official influence in high-value property transactions, but the allegations concerning Jordan and the claimed involvement of his father remain unproven. The outcome of the court proceedings and any investigation by the EFCC will be important in determining what happened to the disputed funds and whether any criminal offence can be established.