An investigation has identified 284 properties in the United States, valued at nearly $271 million, and linked them to 61 current and former senior Nigerian officials, their families, associates and related companies.
The findings are contained in a report titled “Nigeria: Dirty Deeds , How Top Nigerian Officials Bought a Piece of America.” The report was launched in Abuja on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
The investigation was conducted by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF) in partnership with the Anti-Corruption Data Collective (ACDC). It examined how wealth associated with Nigerian political and economic elites moved into the US real estate market.
According to the report, the properties were acquired from 1991 onwards. Of the 284 properties identified, 152, valued at about $177 million, were purchased while the officials linked to them were still in office.
The investigators said several factors raised questions around some of the transactions. These included property purchases made while officials were serving in public office, acquisitions without an apparent financing source and the use of companies and intermediaries that could make beneficial ownership harder to establish.
How the properties were acquired
The report found that 230 of the 284 properties, worth about $232 million, were acquired without apparent financing. That represents about 81 per cent of the properties examined.
It also identified 147 properties worth approximately $111 million that were acquired either directly by officials or their spouses, or through legal entities registered in their names.
Another 104 properties, valued at about $140 million, were purchased through companies. In 12 cases, Nigerian officials allegedly used US-registered companies that appeared to be connected to their Nigerian businesses to acquire, hold or sell property.
The investigators said the use of corporate structures, trusts and intermediaries can make it more difficult to establish who ultimately owns a property.
They further observed that the practice of obscuring ownership appeared to have increased over the past two decades, particularly among politically exposed persons who had faced legal difficulties or judicial proceedings.
The investigation also raised concerns about professionals involved in some transactions. According to the report, some professionals allegedly failed to properly verify identity documents or accepted transactions carried out in the names of deceased individuals.
These findings raise broader questions about the safeguards surrounding real estate transactions in the US, particularly where politically exposed persons and cross-border funds are involved.
39 officials linked to corruption allegations
The report said 39 of the 61 individuals examined had been publicly accused, indicted or sentenced in connection with corruption.
Among those named are former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki; former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina; former Abia State governor and current senator Orji Kalu; former Enugu State governor Chimaroke Nnamani; and late former Oyo State governor Ajibola Ajimobi.
Others include former Aviation Minister Stella Oduah; former Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) registrar Dibu Ojerinde; late former Chief of Defence Staff Alex Badeh; former Interior Minister and ex-Chief of Army Staff Abdulrahman Dambazau; former Anambra State governor and later Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige; former Anambra State governor Willie Obiano; and former Group Chief Operating Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Ronald Ewubare.
The investigation said politically exposed persons linked to 232 properties accounted for approximately $238 million in property value.
Of these, 195 properties, worth about $208 million, were acquired without apparent financing during or after the officials’ periods in office.
The report further identified 94 properties valued at approximately $135 million that were acquired without an apparent financing source while the officials were still serving.
It also said 79 properties worth about $73 million remain connected to 27 individuals who have been publicly accused of corruption.
The investigators said these properties could become relevant to asset recovery proceedings if authorities establish that they were purchased with proceeds of corruption or are otherwise covered by applicable forfeiture laws.
Security, executive and legislative officials dominate
The investigation examined officials across six categories: security, executive, legislative, state government, other public officials and state-owned enterprises.
Security, executive and legislative officials accounted for properties valued at $222 million. This represents 82 per cent of the total value identified in the investigation.
The researchers examined about 100 cases involving public officials, their immediate family members and close associates linked to properties in the United States.
Selection was based on initial indicators such as the surname of a politically exposed person, the name of a family member or a company openly associated with the family.
The report said the importance of the findings goes beyond the total value of the properties. It also lies in when and how some of the properties were acquired.
In several cases, substantial real estate was allegedly acquired while the officials were holding public office. The investigators noted that this period could coincide with greater access to public resources and influence.
The report also said many of the other individuals examined had links to institutions with documented histories of corruption allegations since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999. Some were also implicated in the Pandora Papers and other investigations involving suspicious property purchases in the United Arab Emirates.
Dasuki and Maina cases highlighted
The report referenced previous investigations conducted by PREMIUM TIMES in partnership with PPLAAF, the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and other media organisations.
One investigation examined former NSA Sambo Dasuki and traced billions of naira in payments approved through the Office of the NSA under former President Goodluck Jonathan. The investigation examined payments involving associates and companies connected to individuals within Dasuki’s circle.
Another investigation focused on Abdulrasheed Maina.
According to the report, Maina acquired four properties in the US and Dubai worth more than $1.3 million between 2010 and 2013 while he was serving in government and was later accused of diverting pension funds.
Property records showed that he paid cash for three Kentucky homes. These included a $215,000 house purchased in August 2010. He also used a company he controlled to acquire two other properties for $415,000 in 2011.
In 2013, he purchased a two-bedroom hotel apartment in Dubai for nearly $700,000. The property is now registered in the name of his daughter.
The investigation said Maina later transferred ownership of some US properties through corporate structures. His former wife, Laila Maina, received the $215,000 Kentucky property as part of their 2022 divorce settlement.
Maina was convicted of laundering N2 billion in pension funds and sentenced to eight years in prison in 2021. He was released in February 2025 after receiving statutory remission for good conduct.
The report said the EFCC did not seize or publicly identify the US properties during his case. However, an agency spokesperson said the properties could be investigated if information linked them to illicit proceeds.
Nigerian courts later ordered the forfeiture of 23 properties connected to Maina in Nigeria, while the Kentucky properties and Dubai apartment remained under the control of his former wife and children.
How the investigation was conducted
PPLAAF and ACDC built a database using US property records, credit-related address information and corporate ownership registries.
They also compiled information on Nigerian officials and related legal entities using government records, published lists, expert-generated rosters and publicly available information on indictments and corruption cases.
The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resources Centre’s annual compendium of major Nigerian corruption cases was one of their primary research guides.
For each property, investigators obtained records from the relevant US county or state property registry.
They said each property was assessed independently. At least two independent links were required before a property could be attributed to an individual.
These included dates of birth, residential addresses and matching signatures found across deeds, registries and other records.
Where intermediaries were involved, investigators examined corporate registries, family relationships and open-source information, including social media profiles, geolocation data, travel records and professional backgrounds.
They also considered both incriminating and exculpatory evidence and applied a structured false-positive assessment to reduce the risk of wrongly attributing properties.
The report said property values were based on appraisals from 2025 rather than historical purchase prices. This was intended to provide a standardised valuation across the properties examined.
Calls for investigations and asset recovery
PPLAAF Executive Director Jimmy Kande said the findings demonstrated how wealth linked to corruption risks could move from Nigerian institutions and sectors into foreign real estate.
He called for Nigerian and US authorities to investigate the properties and transactions, establish the sources of funds and strengthen cooperation between financial-crime and law-enforcement agencies.
PPLAAF also urged authorities to take legally justified measures to prevent assets from being dissipated while judicial proceedings are ongoing.
It called for mechanisms to recover and repatriate assets proven to have been acquired with stolen public funds.
At the report’s launch, PREMIUM TIMES Head of Investigations Kabir Yusuf described the investigation as an important contribution to accountability.
He said its value extended beyond the number of properties identified because it demonstrated how property records, corporate registries, official documents and open-source intelligence can be combined to trace complex ownership structures and assets across borders.
For Nigeria’s real estate sector, the findings also highlight the importance of beneficial ownership checks, transparent property records and effective cross-border cooperation. However, the properties identified in the report remain investigative findings and links or allegations should not be treated as proof of criminal liability unless established through the appropriate legal process.