No evidence FBI has seized '$300 million US mansion' belonging to Nigerian politician Rabiu Kwankwaso
IN SHORT: A post circulating on social media claims that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has seized a mansion in the US state of Arizona belonging to Nigerian politician Rabiu Kwankwaso. But the claim is false, and the photo posted alongside it has nothing to do with him.
"Breaking News: The FBI has seized Kwankwaso's $300 million mansion in the Catalina Hills area of Tucson, the bureau says."
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That's the headline of what appears to be a news report circulating on Facebook in Nigeria.
"This follows reports that the United States placed him under sanctions, with claims that $200 billion was allegedly recovered from the property," the report reads.
It features two photos: one of Nigerian politician Rabiu Kwankwaso, and the other shows an aerial view of a house. Outside the house, there are law enforcement officers and dozens of journalists and photographers with cameras and tripods.
The claim also appears here, here and here.
Tucson is a city in the US state of Arizona.
Kwankwaso was the governor of Kano state in northwestern Nigeria from 1999 to 2003 and 2011 to 2015. He also served as Nigeria's defence minister and came fourth in the 2023 presidential election as the candidate for the New Nigeria Peoples Party.
In February 2026, two US lawmakers introduced a bill to congress seeking to impose sanctions on Kwankwaso, including a visa ban and freezing his assets, for contributing to "persecution of Christians" in Nigeria.
The bill also targets various organisations, including Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, and the Fulani-ethnic nomad militias in Nigeria.
The Kwankwasiyya Movement described the claim about Kwankwaso in the bill as unfounded, misleading and inconsistent with verifiable records.
But has the FBI seized Kwankwaso's mansion in the US? We checked.
There's no evidence of this claim
First, the report includes a link to the "full statement". But when we clicked on it, it led to a gambling website, a sign that the report might be false.
Second, the report lacks important information, such as the date of the seizure. This is typical of made-up stories.
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Third, it claimed that officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI, conducted the operation. But the vehicles outside the house are marked "Pima County Sheriff", not "FBI". That is the sheriff's department in Pima county, Arizona.
Additionally, the report claimed that US$200 billion was recovered from the property, but did not specify the form in which it was recovered. It's unlikely that $200 billion in cash was hidden in a mansion.
Unrelated photo
A reverse image search shows that the photo circulating with the report has nothing to do with Kwankwaso.
We found it in a news article, with the caption: "Law enforcement and news broadcasters are stationed outside Nancy Guthrie's residence on 10 February 2026 in Tucson, Arizona."
The photo is related to the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of news anchor Savannah Guthrie.
The bill is not law yet
There is no evidence that the bill has been signed into law or that the US government has begun implementing the proposed sanctions on Kwankwaso and others.
If Kwankwaso's house were to be seized, it would make headlines. But we found no credible media report on this.
There is no evidence to support the claim that the FBI has seized a mansion in the US belonging to Kwankwaso. The claim is false.
This false claim was also found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
