Nigeria: No, Nigerian Minister Nyesom Wike Not Arrested in France

8 December 2025
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Allwell Okpi

No, Nigerian minister Nyesom Wike not arrested in France

IN SHORT: Several Facebook posts claim that Nigeria's minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was arrested in France in late November 2025. But the claim is false.

"Breaking: Wike reportedly Arrested in France Under International Watch - U.S. Authorities Demand Immediate Transfer."

That's the headline of a "breaking news" report circulating on Facebook since late November 2025.

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Some posts include a three-paragraph report and claim that Wike has been "allegedly detained in France, just 48 hours after arriving in the country for a private visit".

They refer to a "satirical report" that claims: "International security officials intercepted him following a confidential request from Washington. Sources inside the fictional investigation claim that U.S. authorities, acting under the directive of President Donald Trump, are pushing for Wike's immediate transfer to America for alleged offenses said to be connected to actions against the Igbo people, (obigbo massacre)."

The claim also appears here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)

Wike was the governor of oil-rich Rivers state from 2015 to August 2023, when president Bola Tinubu appointed him minister of the Federal Capital Territory, in the capital Abuja.

Africa Check has debunked more than a dozen false claims related to Wike. These include a claim in January 2025 that Trump ordered Wike's arrest and another in April that he was arrested for a N100 billion fraud.

Has Wike now been arrested in France while on a private visit? We checked.

No evidence to support this

We found no media reports of this arrest. This is unusual, considering Wike's profile and the diplomatic implications of arresting a top government official in another country. If it were true, the media would have reported it.

The Facebook posts do not include important details, such as the day, the French city, or the charges on which Wike was supposedly arrested. Such a lack of detail is typical of made-up stories.

Wike was in Abuja

While the claim that Wike was arrested in France circulated on Facebook, he was in Abuja.

Wike's posts on X show that he inspected road projects in Abuja on 1 December.

We found no evidence that Wike travelled to France and was arrested there around the time that the claim started circulating. The claim is false.

The same claim was found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. X @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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