ABUJA — Former Minister of Communications and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Adebayo Shittu, has declared that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) maintains the institutional autonomy to investigate the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, should compelling evidence of financial misconduct arise. Speaking in a national interview on Sunday, January 25, 2026, Shittu dismissed the notion that any political figure, regardless of their status or relationship with the Presidency, is shielded from legal scrutiny.
His remarks come amidst intensifying calls from several Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) for a comprehensive probe into a myriad of allegations surrounding the FCT Minister, which include international money laundering, massive land racketeering, and judicial compromise.
CSOs and activists have filed detailed petitions with both Nigerian and U.S. authorities, outlining what they describe as a pattern of asset concealment and abuse of power dating back to Wike’s tenure as Governor of Rivers State. Specific allegations raised in the petitions to the EFCC and the Florida Attorney General include claims that Wike and his wife, a serving Nigerian Appeal Court Justice, secretly purchased three luxury lakeside properties in Winter Springs, Florida, between 2021 and 2023.
These properties, reportedly valued in excess of $6 million (approximately ₦9.6 billion), were allegedly transferred to their children in all-cash transactions using obscure quitclaim deeds, raising significant money laundering concerns under U.S. law and Nigeria’s code of conduct regulations.
Furthermore, Wike is accused of allocating thousands of hectares of prime Abuja land to family members and associates immediately upon assuming his ministerial role. Documents provided by whistleblowers allegedly show land allocations in high-value districts to his 90-year-old father and several brothers through shell companies, often with statutory processing fees drastically cut or entirely unpaid.
Shittu clarified that the EFCC operates as an independent institution driven solely by facts and verifiable evidence rather than political sentiments. He rejected claims often made by the opposition that the Presidency is shielding the FCT Minister from scrutiny, insisting that President Bola Tinubu has granted anti-corruption agencies a free hand to operate without fear or favor. “If it becomes necessary, the EFCC will do its job,” Shittu stated. “If there are petitions and evidence, nobody is too big to be investigated. President Tinubu has given the anti-corruption agencies a free hand to operate.”
The demand for transparency has surged in recent weeks, with various coalition groups calling for a forensic audit of the asset declarations of high-ranking public officials. While Mr. Wike’s associates have consistently dismissed these allegations as politically motivated attacks from the opposition aimed at distracting the Minister from his mandate in Abuja, Shittu maintained that the credibility of the APC-led government rests on the equal application of the law.
The former minister concluded by reaffirming that the administration’s “Renewed Hope” agenda includes a robust commitment to accountability. The handling of these high-profile allegations is widely viewed as a crucial litmus test for the independence and credibility of Nigeria’s anti-corruption institutions.
