An investigation by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF), in partnership with the Anti-Corruption Data Collective (ACDC), has identified 284 United States properties collectively worth nearly $271m linked to 61 current and former Nigerian politically exposed persons (PEPs), their family members, associates and affiliated entities.
The report, titled Dirty Deeds: How Top Nigerian Officials Bought A Piece Of America, was presented by PPLAAF’s Director of Investigation, Sonia Tolley, on Tuesday in Abuja.
The investigation examined property acquisitions dating from 1991 and found that 39 of the 61 individuals had previously been publicly accused, indicted or convicted in corruption-related cases.
A copy of the report obtained by NEWSNGR showed 232 properties worth approximately $238m were connected to those 39 individuals, while 195 properties worth $208 million were acquired without apparent financing.
Obasanjo Family, Orji Kalu
The report’s first major case study focuses on the family of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, identifying about $9m worth of US properties linked to members of his immediate family.
PPLAAF said it identified 11 properties acquired over 26 years that could be sufficiently corroborated through independent sources, while an additional eight assets could not be fully corroborated but were linked to individuals bearing the Obasanjo surname and first names corresponding with members of the former president’s family.
The first property identified was purchased by Obasanjo’s son and daughter-in-law in 1999, the same year Obasanjo returned to power as Nigeria’s elected president.
The investigation said no property appeared to be directly owned by the former president, but several were linked to his son, Olumuyiwa George Obasanjo, and grandchildren Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello and Olugbenga Obasanjo.
One property identified as belonging to Iyabo Obasanjo was reportedly purchased after her tenure as senator representing Ogun Central. The report said she had previously been publicly accused of involvement in the alleged embezzlement of public funds, leading to an EFCC investigation, although the case was eventually dismissed.
PPLAAF said most of the properties were connected through recurring addresses, mortgage information, corporate registrations, signatures and documented family relationships.
The properties were mainly concentrated in New York, with others identified in Illinois, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Texas and Virginia.
The investigation also identified US companies allegedly linked to Olu Obasanjo or other family members, including Pinnacle Property Holdings LLC and other real estate holding companies.
Nigerian corporate records, according to the report, also 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 be immediately reached for comment on this report.
The report also identified former Abia State governor and former senator Orji Kalu among the Nigerian figures covered by its broader investigation.
PPLAAF said it “found that Uzor Kalu and his family members spent nearly USD 5 million on properties in the 18 months following his departure from office – while under indictment by Nigerian authorities.”
The organisation added: “In total, PPLAAF identified US properties across four states linked to Uzor Kalu and his family that are valued at more than USD 20 million.”
It said the holdings included “homes, condominium units, undeveloped agricultural land, and a commercial space that previously housed a restaurant called Kalu,” who could not be reached for comment concerning the report.
Beyond the Obasanjo family, the investigation identified property trails involving former governors, military officers, ministers and senior public officials.
Former Enugu State governor Chimaroke Nnamani was linked to at least nine properties in Florida and Virginia acquired by relatives and associated companies.
The report recalled that the EFCC had accused Nnamani and his sister, Chinero Nwaigwe, of diverting government funds, while US authorities later pursued forfeiture proceedings involving one of the properties.
PPLAAF said Nnamani’s family network included Rock City Group LLC, which acquired a Florida property for $1.8 million in February 2007. The FBI alleged that $961,184.27 was transferred from Nigeria into accounts associated with Nnamani shortly before the purchase.
A US federal court subsequently ordered the property and funds forfeited before the judgment was later vacated following an agreement between the FBI and Nwaigwe.
Former Minister of the Interior Abdulrahman Dambazau was also linked to several Massachusetts properties acquired by him and members of his family. The report identified purchases dating from 2013 to 2023, including properties in Winchester and Boston.
Former Anambra governors Chris Ngige and Willie Obiano also featured in the report.
PPLAAF identified a property in Silver Spring, Maryland, purchased by Ngige in 2008 for $922,600, with $417,000 reportedly financed through a mortgage.
Ngige has denied allegations against him, while the report noted that legal proceedings over separate allegations against him remained unresolved.
For Obiano, PPLAAF, working with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and the Houston Chronicle, identified at least nine properties linked to him and his immediate family, principally in Texas.
The properties span 2005 to 2024, with six acquired before Obiano became governor and three during or after his tenure. The report said four properties were transferred into Wilveg Investments Series LLC in December 2024.
Former aviation minister Stella Oduah and former NNPC official Chris Osa Ogiemwonyi were also examined.
The report linked Oduah to a series of US property transactions and recalled corruption allegations surrounding her tenure as aviation minister, including the controversy over two BMW bulletproof vehicles. It also referenced the Pandora Papers investigation into properties allegedly connected to Oduah through a Seychelles company.
Former JAMB and NECO registrar Professor Lawrence Ojerinde was linked to two Florida properties acquired by his children in 2015 and 2017 for a combined $680,000. PPLAAF said their value had subsequently risen to more than $1.2 million.
The report said Nigerian prosecutors had accused Ojerinde of diverting at least N5.2 billion and had filed separate indictments involving members of his family and companies.
Former pension reform task force chairman Abdulrasheed Maina was linked to three Kentucky properties purchased between 2010 and 2011 for a combined $630,000, all reportedly acquired without mortgages. He was also linked to a Dubai property purchased for nearly $670,000.
