Jordan Ezenwo Nyesom-Wike, son of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has denied receiving $2.1 million in connection with an alleged Abuja land transaction, telling an FCT High Court that a signature appearing on documents presented by the claimants was forged.
Jordan, a lawyer, made the denial on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, before Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Maitama, Abuja, during cross-examination in a civil suit filed by Safwan Garba GY and GY Global Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited.
The case, marked CV/008/2026, centres on competing accounts of an alleged multimillion-dollar transaction involving proposed land acquisitions in Katampe and Guzape districts of Abuja.
The claimants allege that they approached Jordan to assist them in acquiring land in the Federal Capital Territory after first meeting him in London.
They claim Jordan subsequently agreed to facilitate the acquisition of 30 hectares in Katampe and another 30 hectares in Guzape and demanded $2.1 million.
According to their allegations, $2 million of the money was supposedly intended for his father, the FCT Minister, while the remaining $100,000 represented Jordan's personal facilitation fee.
Those allegations remain disputed and have not been established as facts by the court.
Jordan rejected the account while being questioned by counsel to the claimants, Hamza Dantani.
“I did not receive any money from anybody. I did not sign any document for land deal. I only found out that my signature was on the land document, just like anyone else in this court yesterday,” Jordan told the court.
He also denied knowing an individual identified as Onor Sandy, whom the claimants alleged was with him during aspects of the transaction.
“I never had any friend named Onor Sandy and I did not have any deal with anyone regarding land deal,” he said.
The claimants' case includes an allegation that $2.1 million was delivered to Jordan in cash.
Their accounts reported in court documents have included September 26, 2025, as a significant date connected with the alleged transaction.
Jordan has challenged that timeline by maintaining that he was outside Nigeria around the period when the claimants alleged he received the money.
His whereabouts consequently became an important issue during proceedings.
Jordan told the court that he travelled with his American passport and maintained that travel records could support his account.
Following an application by Dantani, Justice Oriji ordered him to produce the passport before the court.
The defence did not oppose the request.
Jordan complied on Wednesday by producing a photocopy of his American passport and undertaking to make the original available whenever required by the court.
The passport could become relevant in assessing his claim concerning his location during the disputed period, although production of the document by itself does not resolve all the allegations contained in the civil suit.
Another important development involves the disputed signature.
During proceedings, counsel for the claimants requested that Jordan write his full name five times and provide his signature five times on a plain sheet of paper.
The defence did not oppose the application, and the court granted it.
Jordan maintains that the signature appearing on the disputed document is not his.
That remains his allegation at this stage. The court has not yet made a final finding that the signature was forged.
Jordan has also challenged identification information contained in the documents relied upon by the claimants.
According to his defence, the passport number appearing on an alleged acknowledgment document differs from his current passport number.
He maintains that the passport corresponding with the number cited in the disputed document had expired in 2022.
These assertions form part of the evidence the court will have to consider alongside the claimants' evidence before determining what occurred.
The dispute also involves an alleged joint venture agreement dated October 17, 2025.
According to court reporting, the proposed arrangement involved the claimants, Jordan and two companies — Apostle Associate Limited and Creekstone General Contractor Ltd.
The claimants allege that the venture concerned the development of 24 six-bedroom fully detached duplexes on parcels of land at Guzape New Extension and Katampe New Extension.
They allege they were expected to contribute $4.2 million, or its naira equivalent, while Jordan was to provide the land for the development.
They further allege that $2.1 million was paid as part of the arrangement and that Jordan signed an acknowledgment confirming receipt.
Jordan denies receiving the money, signing the acknowledgment or entering the land transaction described by the claimants.
The competing timelines are likely to be significant as the trial continues.
Jordan's defence has pointed to what it describes as inconsistencies in the accounts of when and where the alleged payment was made.
He maintains that he was aboard a British Airways flight from Abuja to London on September 26, 2025, when one account allegedly placed him in Nigeria receiving the money.
The claimants nevertheless maintain that a transaction occurred and are continuing to pursue their case before the court.
Neither version should be treated as finally established while the proceedings remain ongoing.
Jordan has additionally characterised the allegations against him as an attempt to blackmail his father and obtain money.
That accusation, like the allegations against Jordan, remains contested.
Nyesom Wike has not been named as a defendant in the civil suit, although the claimants' allegations directly mention him because they claim that $2 million of the disputed $2.1 million was supposedly intended for the FCT Minister.
There has been no judicial finding that Wike requested or received such money.
It would therefore be inaccurate to report the claimants' allegation concerning the minister as an established transaction.
The case has attracted substantial public attention because of Wike's position as FCT Minister and because the disputed transaction concerns land in Abuja, where his ministry exercises significant administrative responsibilities.
Public interest, however, does not change the evidential requirements before the court.
The claimants must establish their case through admissible evidence, while Jordan is entitled to challenge documents, witnesses and allegations presented against him.
The production of his passport and handwriting samples could therefore assist the court in examining two central questions: where Jordan was during relevant periods and whether signatures appearing on disputed documents can reliably be attributed to him.
Neither question should be prejudged before the evidence is fully considered.
The matter has also generated controversy outside the immediate dispute.
Former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, has publicly questioned whether Justice Oriji should continue handling the case because of what Odinkalu described as the judge's familiarity and alleged connections with the Wike family.
Odinkalu called for the judge to recuse himself in order to protect public confidence in the proceedings.
Those are Odinkalu's allegations and arguments; they do not establish judicial bias or misconduct by Justice Oriji.
The court, meanwhile, has continued hearing evidence.
Justice Oriji adjourned the matter to December 1, 2 and 14, 2026, for continuation of trial.
For the public, the latest proceedings provide greater clarity about Jordan's defence but do not determine who is telling the truth.
What has been established is that Safwan Garba GY and GY Global Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited have brought a civil claim concerning an alleged $2.1 million land transaction, while Jordan has categorically denied receiving the money, participating in the transaction or signing the document relied upon against him.
His production of an American passport and handwriting samples gives the court additional material with which to examine those competing claims.
Until Justice Oriji delivers judgment after considering the full evidence — and subject to any subsequent appeal — the alleged $2.1 million payment, Jordan's claim that his signature was forged and allegations involving his father remain matters for judicial determination rather than established facts.
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