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United States: Luxury Real Estate Traced to Major Nigerian Corruption Scandal

Tens of millions for the fight against Boko Haram allegedly misappropriated

(Abuja, November 13, 2024) — A new investigation published today by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF) has uncovered millions of dollars invested in American real estate connected to former Nigerian National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki, who was previously indicted for misappropriating billions intended for the fight against Boko Haram. Tens of millions of dollars Dasuki allegedly stole from Nigerian government coffers ended up in luxury real estate in Los Angeles, California, and in McLean, Virginia, an opulent suburb of Washington, DC.

PPLAAF obtained and analyzed thousands of pages of property deeds, company registration materials, bank transaction records, and court documents from Nigeria and the United States. It traced the funds to luxury real estate purchased by Dasuki’s close associates, Robert and Mimie Oshodin. These documents show that the couple received at least USD 27 million from Dasuki’s office and invested a comparable sum in US real estate. PPLAAF shared its materials and its findings with The Washington Post in the US and Premium Times in Nigeria, who published exclusive stories today.

Our investigation uncovers that the ongoing struggle for accountability in Nigeria is worsened when countries like the US turn a blind eye to corruption. Something has really gone wrong when those entrusted with protecting their citizens instead siphon off money for personal gain,” said Jimmy Kande, PPLAAF’s West Africa Director. “The US can and should do better, both morally and legally.”

In 2018, Nigerian law enforcement informed US authorities about the allegations against Dasuki and the Oshodin couple, imploring the Department of Justice to follow the money. But the Oshodin couple continued to buy and sell additional homes.

“It makes me sick to realise that money meant to fight terrorism and support my compatriots who are being brutalised in northern Nigeria was and is still being diverted for the luxurious needs of a few predators,” said Lanre Suraj from the Nigerian NGO Human and Environmental Development Agenda. “This landmark investigation should push Nigeria and the US to recover the money for the Nigerian people.”

Dasukigate

In June 2012, Dasuki was appointed as National Security Adviser to Nigeria’s then-president Goodluck Jonathan. Dasuki was charged with leading the government’s response to the terror group Boko Haram, which caused widespread violence and displacement in northeastern Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

According to Nigerian law enforcement, through phoney defense procurement agreements and spurious contracts, Dasuki was responsible for misdirecting over USD 2 billion from funds intended for the fight against Boko Haram. When Muhammadu Buhari came to power in 2015, the newly elected president fired Dasuki. The government subsequently arrested him in connection with the scandal, which is commonly referred to as Dasukigate.

Lavish Lifestyles, Magnificent Mansions

As part of a broader investigation, PPLAAF identified numerous assets linked to Dasukigate. Shortly after his appointment as National Security Adviser in 2012, Dasuki started transferring large sums to Robert and Mimie Oshodin, who were serving as legal guardians to two of Dasuki’s children in the US at the time. Around this time, the couple started making substantial real estate investments in the US states of California and Virginia.

During Dasuki’s tenure as National Security Adviser, the Oshodin couple spent approximately USD 24 million on real estate in the US, often corresponding with large transfers from Dasuki’s office. The largest of these real estate transactions was for the purchase of a USD 9.5 million mansion in Los Angeles the very same day Dasuki’s office transferred USD 12 million into an account held in the name of the Oshodin couple’s furniture business in Nigeria.

According to court filings obtained by PPLAAF, the Oshodin couple stored tens of millions of dollars of jewellery in a mansion in Los Angeles, including a ring worth over USD 3 million, and millions in furnishing and antiquities.

Dirty Money Finds its Haven

In 2018, Nigerian law enforcement informed US authorities about the allegations against Dasuki and the Oshodin couple, imploring the Department of Justice to follow the money. The Oshodin couple continued to buy and sell additional homes after the US authorities were informed of the allegations, and the couple still owns real estate valued at USD 20 million in Los Angeles, California and in McLean, Virginia.

The Nigerian government’s investigation into the Oshodin couple suggests that there are significant gaps in the US’s effort to keep dirty money out of its property market. The US has recently taken additional measures to target illicit financial flows into US real estate, notably by requiring investment advisers and real estate professionals to report all cash purchases by companies and trusts.

Equally concerning, the Nigerian government is still struggling to recover assets and prosecute cases linked to the Dasukigate scandal, with significant coordination issues and judicial delays. The Dasukigate scandal thus remains a critical test for Nigeria’s commitment to fighting corruption.

About PPLAAF

The Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa is a non-governmental organization established in 2017 to protect whistleblowers and advocate and engage in strategic litigation on their behalf when their revelations deal with the general interests of African citizens.

For more information on the organization, please visit our website at https://pplaaf.org and follow us on Facebook or X.

For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact

Email: communications@pplaaf.org

Phone: +33 6 58 01 61 96

1 thought on “United States: Luxury Real Estate Traced to Major Nigerian Corruption Scandal”

  1. Awesome Inestigation from PPLAAF.
    Indeed, no doubt that corruption has eaten deep development across the African continental. Unfortunately, our leaders are the drivers of such unethical behaviour. Unfortunately, Nigeria has be rattling with corruption since existence. The issue of Dansuki is one among numerous other high profile corruption recorded in Nigeria. Yes, he was arrested on December 1, 2015, and released November 24, 2019. Imagine, Goodluck Jonathan stating its impossible gor him to have stolen USD2.2billion meant for fighting Boko Harem. Instead of condenming such act and ensuring that he was investigated and if guilty should be punished accordingly and the money retrieved back to the nations finacial coffer. So what those this signifies? Its simple and clear that our leaders lack the political will to fight corruption to its barest minimum.
    I must say, Africa is a great continent but for corruption.
    Moreso, the fight against corruption must not die because its corruption that kept us where we are today.
    #let’sjoinhandstokillcorrruption

    Reply

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