Despite several months of public letters and warnings, the Federal Capital Territory Administration has begun enforcement action against the owners of over 1,000 Abuja homes who have refused to pay statutory land-related costs. The move comes after Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, approved action against the impacted houses in high-brow neighbourhoods like as Asokoro, Maitama, Garki, and Wuse.
The FCTA deemed action essential after numerous pleas issued in national publications, internet platforms, and television stations between May and November failed to elicit cooperation from the defaulting title holders.
Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, issued a statement on Friday headlined "Commencement of enforcement actions on defaulters of ground rent payments, land use conversion fee, and C-of-O bills."
In part, the statement read: "The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has commenced enforcement actions on a total of 1,095 property titles in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that were revoked over non-payment of Ground Rent, Certificate of Occupancy (C-OF-O) bill and Penalty/Violation fee, and Land Use Conversion fee."
It stated, "The 1,095 are property titles in Asokoro, Maitama, Garki, and Wuse districts.
"The owners had ignored a series of public notices, made from May to November, this year, by the FCTA in national dailies, online platforms, and television stations, requesting defaulters to settle their financial obligations/liabilities or risk losing their titles."
Olayinka reportedly described the minister as sanctioning the steps against the delinquent property owners. He made it clear: "The general public, particularly holders of property in the FCT, are hereby notified that the Minister of the FCT, His Excellency, Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has approved the commencement of enforcement actions on a total of 1,095 properties in the Federal Capital City (FCC) for defaulting in various payments."
He said that despite repeated warnings, many title holders neglected to clear unpaid fees, which violated the Land Use Act.
The statement further stated that, "Despite several publications/public notices made by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in some national dailies, online platforms, and television stations requesting defaulters to settle their financial obligations/liabilities to the FCTA, namely Ground Rent, Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) Bill, Penalty/Violation Fee, and Land Use Conversion Fee, the underlisted property holders have failed to comply. This violates Section 28, Subsections 5(a) and (b) of the Land Use Act, as well as the terms and conditions of granting the relevant Rights of Occupancy."
Olayinka further stated that all grace periods had expired, clearing the door for rapid action by the FCTA. He said:
“Following the expiration of the final grace period of fourteen (14) calendar days on Tuesday, the 25th of November 2025, the FCT Administration will carry out enforcement actions on the 835 properties for defaulting in payment of Ground Rent and 260 properties for defaulting in payment of Violation Fee and Land Use Conversion Fee.”
According to reports, the FCTA has intensified efforts in recent months to recover outstanding statutory charges from property owners across the Abuja metropolis.
In May 2025, the FCTA began issuing multiple public notices in national newspapers, online platforms, and broadcast stations, warning title holders to clear accumulated debts on Ground Rent, Certificate of Occupancy bills, Land Use Conversion fees, and penalty charges.
The administration had stated that persistent default by high-value property owners—particularly in prime districts such as Maitama, Asokoro, Garki, and Wuse—was contributing to significant revenue shortfalls needed for infrastructure development, city maintenance, and service delivery.
The Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, had frequently said that the administration would no longer accept breaches of land title conditions or contempt for legal requirements.
The FCTA is anticipated to initiate sealing, repossession, and other statutory enforcement operations on the impacted properties in accordance with the minister's consent and applicable laws.