…Seals access bank, FIRS, others
By Sarah NEGEDU
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has began sealing off high-profile buildings including Access Bank, Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, Ibro Hotel, Total Energy, among other properties whose titles were recently revoked over long-standing ground rent defaults.
Monday’s operation which focused in parts of the Wuse district, marks the first wave of enforcement following the revocation of 4,794 titles across the capital city.
Recall that the FCTA had in March declared its intention to take back possession of these properties many of which are located in premium districts such as Asokoro, Maitama, Wuse, and the Central Area after discovering unpaid ground rent liabilities ranging from 10 to 43 years.
At a briefing last Friday, the FCTA announced that enforcement would commence from Monday, May 26, targeting defaulters irrespective of their identity or the nature of current occupants.
According to the FCT Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, the repossession was in full compliance with Section 28(5) of the Land Use Act and followed due legal process.
The officials sealed multiple properties including Plot 534, Cadastral Zone A02, Wuse Zone 1, belonging to Total PLC, over a decade of ground rent default.
A property occupied by Access Bank at Plot 2456, Wuse 1, was also sealed. While the building is actively used by the bank, it belongs to Rana Taher Furniture Nigeria Limited, which has reportedly not paid ground rent for 34 years.
Similarly, the FIRS building in Wuse Zone 5 was sealed for 25 years of unpaid ground rent. The Ibro Hotel premises, another key location, was also affected during the operation.
Speaking during the sealing of Plot 534, Cadastral Zone A02, Wuse Zone 1, belonging to Total PLC, Galadima said, “Today is about walking the talk. We announced this earlier, and we are here to implement what we said to take possession of all revoked properties, starting with this plot.”
Clarifying the legal status of the properties, the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, stated that the affected titles had reverted to the government, and any ongoing occupation would henceforth be considered trespassing unless regularized through official channels. He reaffirmed that the action is not aimed at the current occupants, but the title holders, whose prolonged failure to meet statutory obligations triggered the revocation.
The administration also revealed that as of March, over N6.9 billion in ground rent was owed by 8,375 title holders—an amount deemed unacceptable in light of FCTA’s push to boost internally generated revenue.
Officials have warned that the enforcement will expand to other districts in the coming days, including the Central Business Area, Garki, Asokoro, and Maitama. Allottees with outstanding liabilities have been advised to settle their obligations or risk similar enforcement action.
Galadima emphasized that the sealing of premises is legally tantamount to repossession: “There is no distinction. Sealing is possession. Once a property is revoked and sealed, its use by any party becomes illegal.”
[26/05, 16:29] Emma Ogbeche: FCTA seals PDP national HQ, FIRS, others over decades of unpaid ground rent
By Sarah NEGEDU
The Federal Capital Territory Administration on Monday, sealed the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, located at the popular Wadata Plaza, Wuse Zone 5, as the crackdown on properties owing decades of ground rent intensified.
The property, owned by Senator Samaila Mamman Kofi and currently housing the PDP headquarters, is said to have defaulted on ground rent payment for over 28 years, prompting the administration to take physical possession in line with the revocation order issued in March.
Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, who was on the enforcement team, told journalists at the site that the sealing of Wadata Plaza marked the ninth enforcement operation carried out that day.
He explained that the FCTA deals strictly with property owners and not tenants or occupants and confirmed that the statutory revocation notice was duly served on Senator Kofi at his registered Kaduna address, and also posted on the premises.
Speaking during the enforcement exercise, the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, stated, “Just like we briefed you last Friday that the FCT administration will commence the taking of possession of the 4,794 properties revoked for non-payment of ground rents, we started this morning, we’ve gone to a number of properties and sealed them as we did say we will do.”
He added, “We are now at Wadata Plaza, where the PDP is occupying, that’s the property belonging to Senator Samaila Mamman Kofi that the PDP is occupying. I think this is the ninth or tenth site that we visited today and that we are sealing.”
The director emphasized that the property had been revoked since March 2025 due to unpaid ground rent, and the FCTA had repeatedly instructed the owner to vacate. “Simply to take physical possession of the property, the property had since March been revoked and we’ve repeatedly told the holders to ensure that they vacate because we said at that time that the FCTA will take possession of those properties in due course and that is what we have come to do today,” he explained.
Asked whether the property owner had been properly notified given the political implications, Nwankwoeze clarified, “Yes, the property holder whom we deal with, we don’t deal with occupants. We deal with property owners, we don’t deal with occupants or tenants. Senator Samaila Mamman Kofi was duly served the revocation notice and out of abundance of caution, we also came here and pasted the revocation notice served on Samaila Mamman Kofi at his Kaduna address, the address on record.”
He added, “Samaila Mamman Kofi is the owner of the property and the address we have in our records for him is that of Kaduna and we duly served him. This is a copy of the revocation notice and the evidence of service, this is him, served since the 14th of March 2025 and a copy of this was duly pasted at the gate of this building.”
On allegations of political witch-hunt, the Senior Special Adviser on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka, clarified that the exercise is not targeted at any individual or political group saying, “We are not here for politics. If you are talking about political witch hunt, we have been to Ibro hotels, we have been to Access Bank, we have been to FIRS, we have been to Total Petrol Station, we are also still going to other places, and tomorrow we will go to other places.”
He stressed, “This exercise will continue as long as we are able to conclude the taking possession of those over 4,000 properties. So are we also going to say all those ones that I mentioned are for politics? Moreover, this place is not owned by the PDP.”
Responding to concerns that some properties may have been wrongly revoked despite payment of ground rent, Nwankwoeze said, “No, we keep good records. In this case, we are talking of 28 years. The owner of this property, Samaila Mamman Kofi, was owing 28 years ground rent. And then FIRS is 25 years. So we keep proper records.”
He challenged occupants to present evidence of payment, noting, “When you pay your ground rent, you will have to be issued with receipt of payment. Let the FIRS present the receipt of payment issued by the Lands Department or the FCTA, showing that they paid ground rent for 25 years on the property we went to. So those claims are not completely true.”
Clarifying ownership disputes, he stated, “Some of them, like FIRS, they claim they own the property. But in our records, they don’t. If you buy property, you have to register your interest.”
He further explained, “The property which FIRS is occupying, where we just sealed before coming here, is owned by Fortunate Case Limited. When we got there, they said they own the property. But obviously, they didn’t do what they needed to do, so that they will be recognized as the owners.”
This action at Wadata Plaza follows recent similar enforcement operations at several other properties, including the Federal Inland Revenue Service building, Ibro Hotel, Access Bank, and Total Energy premises, all of which were sealed over years of unpaid ground rent.
