A sprawling US property network worth nearly $271 million has been linked to 61 current and former Nigerian politically exposed persons, their relatives, associates and affiliated companies. The investigation, conducted by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF) in partnership with the Anti-Corruption Data Collective (ACDC), identified 284 properties across several US states. Some of the transactions date back to 1991, raising questions about the movement of wealth out of Nigeria.
The investigation found that 230 of the properties, valued at about $232 million, were acquired without apparent financing. Additionally, 152 properties worth approximately $177 million were acquired while the officials concerned were in public office. The findings suggest that some of these properties may have been purchased using illicit funds. The investigators are urging Nigerian and US authorities to intensify cross-border investigations.
Thirty-nine of the 61 individuals had previously been publicly accused, indicted or convicted in corruption-related cases. Properties valued at approximately $238 million were linked to those 39 individuals. The report also found that 79 properties worth about $73 million remain connected to 27 publicly accused individuals. The investigators used property records, corporate registrations, court documents and other publicly available information to establish connections between the properties and the Nigerian individuals.
One of the most prominent cases examined by the investigators involved members of the family of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. PPLAAF identified approximately $9 million worth of US properties linked to members of the former president's immediate family. Eleven properties acquired over 26 years were sufficiently corroborated through independent sources. The properties were concentrated mainly in New York, with others located in Illinois, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Texas and Virginia.
The investigation also identified US companies allegedly linked to members of the Obasanjo family, including Pinnacle Property Holdings LLC and other real estate holding companies. Nigerian corporate records showed that Obasanjo had served or serves as a director, trustee or shareholder in companies spanning agriculture, real estate, construction, pharmaceuticals, mining, entertainment and investment. The Obasanjo family could not immediately be reached for comment.
Former Abia State governor and senator, Orji Uzor Kalu, also featured prominently in the investigation. PPLAAF said it found that Kalu and members of his family spent nearly $5 million on US properties in the 18 months following his departure from office. Overall, the investigators identified properties across four US states linked to Kalu and his family with a combined value of more than $20 million.
The investigators are urging Nigerian and US authorities to intensify cross-border investigations and pursue freezing, seizure or recovery of assets where legally established links to corruption proceeds are found. The property records provide potential leads for tracing illicit wealth. The findings raise significant questions about the source and movement of funds, but PPLAAF did not suggest that ownership of every property identified constituted proof of corruption.
Key points
- 284 properties worth $271 million linked to 61 Nigerian officials
- 230 properties acquired without apparent financing
- 39 officials previously accused of corruption-related cases
