61 Nigerian Officials Linked to N370bn US Property Deals – Report

•284 properties traced to officials, families and associates

•Security personnel, ex-governors, lawmakers among those named

An investigation has linked 61 current and former Nigerian officials, their families, associates and affiliated companies to 284 properties in the United States worth nearly N370 billion ($271 million).

The findings are contained in a report titled “Nigeria: Dirty Deeds — How Top Nigerian Officials Bought a Piece of America”, released in Abuja by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF) and the Anti-Corruption Data Collective (ACDC).

The investigation examined property acquisitions dating from 1991 and found that 152 properties, valued at about $177 million, were acquired while the officials were in office.

The report said the properties were linked to officials across the security, executive, legislative and state government sectors. It also traced assets to their families, close associates and companies.

State government officials formed the largest group, with 14 politically exposed persons (PEPs), followed by security personnel with 12. The executive had 11 PEPs, while the legislature accounted for 10.

Three PEPs were linked to state-owned enterprises, while two fell under the report’s category of other public officials.

Security personnel and their families or associates were linked to properties worth about $93 million, representing roughly 34 per cent of the total value identified.

The report said 230 of the 284 properties, valued at about $232 million, were purchased without apparent financing.

It also found that 147 properties worth approximately $111 million were acquired by officials or their spouses in their own names or through legal entities registered in their names.

Another 104 properties, valued at about $140 million, were purchased through companies. In 12 cases, the investigators identified US-registered entities that appeared to be connected to Nigerian companies linked to the officials.

The investigation further found that 39 of the 61 individuals had previously been publicly accused, indicted or sentenced in corruption-related cases.

Among the cases highlighted was that of a former national security adviser, who the report linked to a 127-acre horse farm in South Carolina purchased for nearly $1 million in cash.

The investigation also examined properties linked to the family of a former Nigerian president, including 10 properties reportedly acquired over a 26-year period.

PPLAAF said it relied on official property records, corporate ownership registers, court documents and other publicly available information in tracing the assets.

The investigators said they required at least two independent links before attributing a property to an individual. These included personal identifiers, residential addresses, signatures and corporate records.

The report said the properties were valued using 2025 appraised values rather than their historical purchase prices, allowing the investigators to apply a common valuation method.

PPLAAF Executive Director Jimmy Kande said the findings showed how wealth linked to Nigerian public officials could move across borders and into foreign real estate.

He called for Nigerian and US authorities to investigate the transactions and pursue the recovery of assets where wrongdoing is established.

The report also raised concerns about weaknesses in the US real estate market, particularly the use of companies and intermediaries that can make the real ownership of properties difficult to establish.

It said some transactions involved purchases made while officials were in office and without apparent financing, factors the investigators identified as requiring further scrutiny.

PPLAAF said the investigation was intended to help Nigerian authorities identify where assets and funds were held and support efforts to recover public funds where the properties are linked to unlawful conduct.

The organisation, founded in 2017, works across Africa to strengthen whistleblower protection, support public-interest disclosures and promote accountability and good governance.