The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will begin enforcement actions on Monday to take possession of 4,794 properties whose land titles were revoked due to non-payment of ground rent. According to FCTA officials, some property owners had failed to pay ground rent for as long as 43 years. The announcement was made on Friday at a joint press briefing by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media to the FCT Minister; Chijioke Nwankwoeze, Director of Land Administration; and Mukhtar Galadima, Director of Development Control. The revocations were carried out under Section 28(5)(a)(b) of the Land Use Act, following repeated notices that were ignored by the defaulting owners. Officials stated that the government would assert ownership rights over the affected properties, which are spread across prime locations in Abuja, including the Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape.
“Ownership of the revoked 4,794 properties in the Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape districts has already reverted to the FCTA. As from Monday next week, the government will begin to exercise its rights of ownership over the affected landed properties.
“As usual, this will be done without consideration as to the ownership of the affected landed properties. It will be purely in line with extant laws and regulations guiding the process,” they stated.
Speaking during the press conference, Nwankwoeze explained that the grace period given to the landowners had elapsed and that the titles would be revoked in line with extant laws of the FCT.
“Relevant agencies of the FCTA are already compiling records of compliance and non-compliance with this directive, with a view to acting accordingly.”
Addressing concerns about legal challenges, Nwankwoeze confirmed that no court had ruled against the revocations, and that the FCTA remains within its legal rights to proceed.
Galadima added that the enforcement would involve sealing the identified properties and restricting access, starting Monday. Decisions on the future of the affected properties will be taken at a later date.
The initial list of defaulting properties was drawn from ten of the oldest districts in Phase 1 of the Federal Capital City, covering areas like Central Area (Cadastral Zone A00), Garki I & II (Zones A01 & A03), Wuse I & II (Zones A02, A07 & A08), Asokoro (A04), Maitama (A05 & A06), and Guzape (A09).
Earlier in March, the FCTA had published a list of 8,375 defaulting properties, including the unfinished national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Central Business District.
Out of those, 4,794 properties, owing over 10 years of unpaid ground rent totaling N6.96 billion, were revoked. The administration, led by Nyesom Wike, had previously offered a 21-day grace period to those in default for less than 10 years. That period has now lapsed, and enforcement is moving forward.