NGO Links $271 Million in US Properties to 61 Nigerian Officials
An investigative report by two anti-corruption organisations has identified 284 properties in the United States worth about $271 million linked to 61 current and former high-level Nigerian officials, their families, associates and affiliated companies.
The report, titled “Nigeria: Dirty Deeds — How Top Nigerian Officials Bought a Piece of America,” was produced by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF) and the Anti-Corruption Data Collective.
The investigation found that 152 properties worth about $177 million were acquired while the officials were in office. It also found that 230 properties, valued at roughly $232 million, were purchased without apparent financing, a pattern the investigators said could raise money-laundering concerns.
The properties were linked to officials across the security, executive, legislative, state government and state-owned enterprise sectors. Security, executive and legislative officials accounted for about 82% of the total property value identified.
The investigators said they relied on US property records, corporate registries, Nigerian government records and other publicly available information. Each property was independently assessed, with at least two additional identifying links required before it was attributed to an individual or associated entity.
The report includes individuals who have previously faced corruption allegations or legal proceedings, but the property links themselves do not establish that every acquisition involved stolen public funds or criminal conduct.
PPLAAF described the findings as evidence of gaps in efforts to prevent illicit wealth from being moved across borders and invested in foreign real estate.
Neither Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission nor presidential spokespeople had responded to AFP’s requests for comment at the time of its report.
