Social media is buzzing with reports that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has allegedly uncovered wads of cash amounting to $6 billion (dollars) at the London residence of Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Governor of Rivers State.

Additionally, it is claimed that documents were found detailing the results of the 2027 presidential election, which supposedly showed Tinubu as the winner, even though the election has not yet taken place.

These claims suggest that the discovery was part of an FBI investigation into international money laundering and electoral fraud. This information has been widely circulated across various social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp.

Claim: Did the FBI find $6 billion and pre-filled 2027 result sheets in Wike’s London home?

Verification:

The CDD War Room, in its examination of the post, identified several discrepancies that proved the claim to be false. First, by using Google’s reverse image search tool, we traced two of the attached images back to 2023.

These images were actually released by the U.S. Department of Justice following a raid on Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where thousands of classified documents were discovered. This search formed the basis of the prosecution against Donald Trump for his possession of those documents. 

Secondly, the FBI is a U.S. security agency with jurisdiction limited to the United States. According to their regulations, they can only conduct investigations abroad if invited by the host country.

However, in most cases, investigations and arrests are carried out by the local security agencies in those countries, working in close cooperation with the FBI. We reviewed official channels in Europe, including Europol, MI5, and MI6, to verify whether any information regarding the alleged investigation at Wike’s residence was shared, but found none. 

It is also pertinent to note that investigations or searches of someone’s home cannot legally occur without a search warrant.

Finally, the Facebook group “Arise TV News,” where the post was initially shared, is a parody account mimicking the Arise News channel.

The actual Arise News and other reputable news channel did not report about any sting operation targeting a Nigerian politician. There are also no credible news channels reporting the purported discovery of cash or falsified election results by the FBI.

Verdict: FALSE