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 research the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, ought to compelling proof of economic misconduct come up. Speaking 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. Specific allegations raised within the petitions to the EFCC and the Florida Attorney General embody claims that Wike and his spouse, a serving Nigerian Appeal Court 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 below U.S. regulation and Nigeria’s code of conduct rules.
Furthermore, Wike is accused of allocating hundreds of hectares of prime Abuja land to relations and associates instantly upon assuming his ministerial function. Documents supplied by whistleblowers allegedly present land allocations in high-value districts to his 90-year-old father and several other brothers by way of shell corporations, usually with statutory processing charges drastically minimize or completely unpaid.
Shittu clarified that the EFCC operates as an impartial establishment pushed solely by info and verifiable proof slightly 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 companies a free hand to function with out concern or favor. “If it becomes necessary, the EFCC will do its job,” Shittu acknowledged. “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 latest weeks, with varied coalition {groups} calling for a forensic audit of the asset declarations of high-ranking public officers. While Mr. Wike’s associates have persistently dismissed these allegations as politically motivated assaults from the opposition geared 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 former 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 broadly seen as an important litmus check for the independence and credibility of Nigeria’s anti-corruption establishments.
