Human rights lawyer Chidi Odinkalu has called on Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory to recuse himself from a $2.1 million land dispute involving Jordan Ezenwo Nyesom-Wike, the son of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The intervention came on Wednesday as proceedings continued in suit number CV/008/2026, brought by Safwan Garba GY and GY Global Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited against Jordan Wike at the Maitama division of the court. Odinkalu, a former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, argued that the judge’s continued presence on the bench breaches the National Judicial Council’s Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers and undermines the constitutional requirement that a court be constituted so as to guarantee its independence and impartiality.
In a public statement, Odinkalu said that by accepting and remaining in charge of the case, Justice Oriji knowingly violated Rule 12(d)(iii) of the code. That provision requires a judicial officer to disqualify himself where he, his spouse, or a person related to either of them is known by the officer to have an interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceedings. Odinkalu maintained that the judge therefore has a duty to step aside.
The claimants allege that they first met Jordan Wike in London, later dealt with him in Abuja, and asked him to help them acquire 30 hectares of land in Katampe and a further 30 hectares in Guzape. They say he demanded $2.1 million as a facilitation fee, telling them that $2 million was intended for his father and $100,000 was his own share. They further allege that the cash was handed over on 26 September 2025 in the presence of named witnesses and that neither the land nor a refund was subsequently provided. The dispute is also linked in court papers to a joint venture dated 17 October 2025 involving the claimants, Jordan Wike and two companies, under which the claimants were to contribute a much larger sum towards a housing development on land in Guzape New Extension and Katampe New Extension.
Jordan Wike has denied the allegations. Represented by Ogwu Onoja SAN, he adopted his statement on oath this week and told the court that he was outside Nigeria on the date the claimants say the money was delivered. When asked which travel document he used, he said he had travelled on his American passport and could produce it if required. Counsel for the claimants, Hamza Dantani, then applied for the passport to be brought to court. Justice Oriji granted the application. The court also directed the defendant to write his full name five times and to append his signature five times on a plain sheet of paper. Reports from Wednesday’s sitting indicated that the passport was produced as ordered.
Odinkalu’s objection is not confined to the wording of the judicial code. He noted that Justice Oriji hails from Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, the same area as the Wike family, and is reputedly related to them or at least well known to them. Even if no blood relationship were established, he said, the shared origin and familiarity were enough to raise a reasonable apprehension of bias. He criticised both the decision of the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court to assign the matter to this judge and the judge’s decision to accept the assignment.
He drew a comparison with a well known episode at the Supreme Court in which Justice Anthony Aniagolu recused himself from a panel because he knew both parties and came from the same neighbourhood as one of them. The present case, Odinkalu said, failed the test that justice must be seen to be done. Whether the claim succeeded or failed, he warned, observers would impute extraneous factors to the result. He also expressed surprise that the claimants’ lawyers had not themselves applied for recusal, describing that step as an obligation of professional conscience.
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has separately called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to open an independent investigation. The group argued that the allegation that $2 million of the disputed sum was intended for a serving minister takes the matter beyond a purely private civil quarrel.
Neither Justice Oriji nor the Wike family had issued a public response to the recusal demand by Wednesday afternoon. The allegations against Jordan Wike remain unproven and are contested in court. The case continues.
By A.Ikechukwu
