Nigeria, Sept. 23 -- A new investigation has identified 284 properties in the United States, collectively valued at nearly $271 million, linked to 61 current and former high-level Nigerian officials, their families, associates and affiliated companies.

The properties, acquired from 1991 onwards, include 152 worth about $177 million that were purchased while the officials were in office, according to a report by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF), in partnership with the Anti-Corruption Data Collective (ACDC).

The findings were presented in Abuja on Tuesday at the launch of the report, titled "Nigeria: Dirty Deeds - How Top Nigerian Officials Bought a Piece of America."

The investigation examined how wealth linked...