By Taibat Ummi Yakubu

Fresh twists emerged on Wednesday in the ongoing legal battle over an alleged $2.1 million Abuja land transaction, as Jordan Wike, son of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, appeared before the FCT High Court with his American passport in an effort to counter claims made against him.

Jordan presented the travel document before Justice Sylvanus Oriji after the court had directed him earlier in the week to produce it amid disputes surrounding his location on a key date linked to the case.

The suit was filed by businessman Safwan Garba and his company, GY Global Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited, who accused the minister’s son of collecting $2.1 million from them under the promise of securing large parcels of land in two high-value districts of Abuja.

According to the claimants, the arrangement followed a relationship they allegedly established with Jordan after meeting him in London. They claimed discussions led to an agreement for the acquisition of 30 hectares of land in Katampe and Guzape.

The plaintiffs further alleged that Jordan informed them that $2 million of the payment was meant for his father, the FCT Minister, while the remaining $100,000 would be retained by him.

They told the court that the money was handed over in cash on September 26, 2025, in the presence of several witnesses, including Adamu Sani, Aliyu Sarki, Sai Wani and another individual identified as Onor Sandy, who was said to have accompanied Jordan during the transaction.

However, Jordan has firmly denied the allegations, insisting that he neither received the money nor participated in any land deal with the claimants.

As part of his defence, he argued that he was outside Nigeria during a period central to the dispute and relied on his American passport to support that claim. His legal team maintains that the allegations are false and unsupported.

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The claimants, on the other hand, alleged that communication with Jordan became difficult after the money was delivered. They said they later discovered that the plots they believed were being acquired were already under the control of another company preparing to commence development.

Following what they described as unsuccessful efforts to recover their funds, the plaintiffs said they formally demanded a refund on October 31, 2025. When no repayment was made, they approached the court seeking to recover the money.

At an earlier hearing, Jordan adopted his sworn statement before the court and, under cross-examination by the claimants’ counsel, Hamza Dantani, maintained that he had no knowledge of the alleged transaction.

In another development during the proceedings, the claimants’ lawyer requested an order directing Jordan to repeatedly write his full name and signature on a blank sheet of paper, a move apparently aimed at future examination of documents connected to the case.

The request was not opposed by the defence team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Ogwu Onoja, and Justice Oriji subsequently granted the application.

The case continues as both sides seek to convince the court over the circumstances surrounding the controversial multimillion-dollar land deal.