The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced that it will begin taking possession of 4,794 properties across Abuja starting Monday, May 26, 2025. These properties were revoked due to the non-payment of ground rents spanning between 10 and 43 years.
At a press conference in Abuja, the FCT Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, alongside the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, and Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, revealed that the government will reclaim the properties regardless of current ownership status, in accordance with existing laws.
Among the affected properties is the former PDP national secretariat, Wadata Plaza in Wuse Zone 5. Officials stated that while the building is privately owned by Samaila Mamman Kofi, who purchased it from the PDP, he has failed to pay 28 years’ worth of ground rent totaling N2.84 million.
Other institutions affected by the revocation include the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST), Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, Federal Ministry of Environment, National Universities Commission (NUC), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and the Borno State Government.
The revoked properties are located in key districts including Central Area, Garki I & II, Wuse I & II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape. The FCTA has declared that these areas are now under its control and will be sealed off starting Monday.
Director Galadima explained that access to these properties will be restricted, and future decisions regarding their use will be determined by the Administration. Nwankwoeze added that although some property owners have threatened legal action, no court has ruled against the revocation, allowing the FCTA to proceed unimpeded.
The revocation process stems from a March 2025 directive following the identification of 8,375 defaulting land titles, with over N6.9 billion owed in ground rents. Of these, 4,794 properties were found to have defaulted for over 10 years and have since had their titles revoked.
The FCTA reminded the public that the payment of ground rent is a legal obligation under the Land Use Act and must be fulfilled annually without formal notice. Property owners who owe between one and ten years in rent were granted a 21-day grace period, and compliance records are currently being compiled for further enforcement action.
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