A U.S. law firm has indicated that it will examine allegations concerning properties and assets allegedly owned by senior Nigerian government officials after a social media post specifically drew attention to the U.S. property of Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo.
The issue was raised by Samuel Omogor in a post responding to Von Batten Montague York, L.C., which had announced that it was receiving allegations from Nigerians concerning overseas properties and assets allegedly linked to senior members of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Omogor urged the firm to investigate Keyamo’s reported U.S. property, asking it to establish when the property was acquired, how it was purchased and whether the minister owns other properties abroad.
The post also questioned whether the source of funds used to acquire the property could be linked to money laundering, while acknowledging that the proposed investigation was outside the firm’s stated work involving former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The law firm had earlier said it received messages from Nigerians alleging that some senior government officials own properties, assets and homes in the United States and Europe that may not correspond with their reported government salaries. It also said it had received claims concerning possible U.S. permanent resident status and alleged failure by some individuals to pay required federal taxes.
However, the firm emphasized that these remain allegations and that it had not seen physical evidence corroborating the claims.
Von Batten Montague York said it was assembling a team to examine the allegations. It stated that if its findings support the claims, it could present the results to U.S. lawmakers and relevant federal agencies, including the U.S. Treasury, Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The proposed investigation is to be undertaken pro bono under the firm’s U.S. Interests Program.
Neither the firm’s announcement nor Omogor’s post establishes that Keyamo or any other Nigerian official committed money laundering or acquired property with illicit funds. Determining the ownership, purchase date, financing and source of funds for any property would require documentary evidence and, where appropriate, official investigations.
The renewed attention places the spotlight on questions surrounding the overseas assets of Nigerian public officials and whether their acquisition can be adequately reconciled with their declared income and lawful sources of funds.
