Jordan Ezenwo Nyesom-Wike, son of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, has denied receiving $2.1 million in an alleged Abuja land transaction after a High Court in the Federal Capital Territory ordered him to produce his American passport as evidence in the case.

The order was made by Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the FCT High Court in Maitama after Jordan told the court that he was outside Nigeria on September 26, 2025, the date the claimants, Safwan Garba GY and GY Global Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited, said the money was handed over to him in Abuja.

During cross-examination, Jordan said he travelled out of Nigeria with his American passport. Counsel to the claimants, Hamza Dantani, subsequently asked the court to compel him to produce the document. Justice Oriji granted the application, and Jordan later presented the passport in court. The court admitted a copy into evidence and returned the original, while directing his lawyer to produce it again if required.

The passport became relevant to Jordan’s defence because he disputes being present when the alleged cash payment was made. The claimants allege that $2.1 million was delivered to him on September 26, 2025, at a residence in Gwarimpa, Abuja, in connection with a proposed land arrangement covering 30 hectares in Katampe and another 30 hectares in Guzape.

According to the claimants’ account, the $2.1 million was demanded as a facilitation fee, with $2 million allegedly intended for Nyesom Wike and $100,000 for Jordan. They also alleged that the payment was witnessed by Adamu Sani, Aliyu Sarki and Sai Wani, while Jordan was accompanied by a man identified as Onor Sandy.

Jordan has rejected the account and maintained that he had no such business arrangement with the claimants. He also denied receiving any money and disputed a document presented in court that carried a signature attributed to him.

When the document was shown to him during cross-examination, Jordan said the signature was forged. He also denied knowing Onor Sandy, whom the claimants identified as the person who accompanied him during the alleged payment.

The signature dispute prompted another step in the proceedings. The claimants obtained permission for Jordan to write his full name and signature five times each on plain sheets of paper. The defence did not oppose the request, allowing the exercise to proceed as part of the evidence before the court.

Jordan's defence also challenges the claim that he was in Abuja when the alleged payment took place. Reports of the proceedings state that he maintained he was outside Nigeria on September 26, 2025, and relied on his travel records to support that position. The presentation of his American passport therefore became part of the evidence surrounding his whereabouts on the disputed date.

The case has also brought Nyesom Wike into the wider dispute because of the claimants' allegation that $2 million of the purported payment was intended for the FCT minister. That allegation forms part of the claimants' case and has not been established by the court. Nyesom Wike is not the defendant in the suit, which is against Jordan.

Another development surrounding the case came from human rights lawyer Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, who called on Justice Oriji to recuse himself from the proceedings. Odinkalu raised concerns about what he described as the judge's familiarity and alleged relationship with the Wike family, arguing that the circumstances could raise questions about the appearance of impartiality. His position is a separate intervention and is not a court finding against Justice Oriji.

The civil suit, marked CV/008/2026, was filed by Safwan Garba GY and GY Global Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited. The claimants are seeking recovery of the $2.1 million they allege was paid in the failed land arrangement, along with other reliefs.

Jordan, represented by a legal team led by Chief Ogwu Onoja, SAN, has continued to deny the allegations. The court has not made a final determination on whether the alleged payment was made, whether Jordan received the money or whether the disputed signature is genuine.

Justice Oriji has adjourned further proceedings to December 1, 2 and 14, 2026, when the trial is expected to continue.