The former governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, and his wife began transferring ownership of several U.S.-based properties in 2022, just months after his arrest on allegations of misappropriating public funds.
Obiano, who served as governor from 2014 to 2022, was arrested by Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as he attempted to board a flight from Lagos to Houston shortly after leaving office.
He faces a nine-count indictment accusing him of embezzlement and money laundering, specifically the misappropriation of N4 billion (approximately $4.4 million at the time) from the Anambra State Government’s Security Vote Account.
Obiano has denied all charges, and the case remains ongoing. His trial has been delayed following the suspension of the presiding judge by the National Judicial Council over unrelated misconduct.
An investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF), and the Houston Chronicle reveals that the Obianos transferred ownership of six apartments in Texas between 2022 and 2024.
Despite these transfers, public property records indicate the couple still retains ownership of four apartments in the state.
Notably, four of the six transferred apartments were acquired before Obiano’s time in office, during his tenure in the banking sector.
Two of the transferred properties were purchased during his time as governor. The combined estimated value of the transferred properties is about $1.8 million, according to district property authorities.
The first round of property transfers occurred in 2022, the same year as Obiano’s arrest. He sold one Houston apartment, while his wife, Ebelechukwu Obiano, sold another in the same city.
The second set of transfers took place in 2024, the year formal charges were filed against Obiano. In this round, four properties were moved under the ownership of Wilveg Investments Series LLC, a Texas-based company.
Corporate filings show that Wilveg Investments Series LLC was incorporated in 2010, with listed managers including Mr. Obiano, his wife, and their daughter. In November 2023, Mrs. Obiano became the company’s registered agent.
Mrs. Obiano, when contacted by OCCRP, declined to answer questions regarding the property transfers or her husband’s legal case, stating only via text message that the real estate dealings were a “private business.”
In addition to the transferred properties, records show the Obianos still jointly own an apartment in Texas purchased in 2011.
Mrs. Obiano holds sole ownership of two more Texas apartments purchased in 2011 and 2024, respectively. Another apartment she bought in 2014 was transferred to their daughter in 2015.
The EFCC’s case hinges in part on alleged abuses of the Security Vote Account—special discretionary funds provided to federal, state, and local officials to address emergency security issues.
A 2018 report by Transparency International and the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center warned that the opaque nature of such accounts, which are not subject to legislative oversight or independent audit, makes them vulnerable to abuse and corruption.
(Agency Report)
