The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced it will commence the recovery of nearly 4,800 properties across Abuja beginning Monday, May 26, 2025. This move comes months after revoking land titles over unpaid Ground Rent dating back as far as 43 years.
At a press conference on Friday, senior officials of the FCTA revealed the government’s plan to enforce the revocation and take physical control of the affected properties.
The briefing was led by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, alongside Chijioke Nwankwoeze, Director of Land Administration, and Mukhtar Galadima, Director of Development Control.
According to the FCTA, the 4,794 properties are located in key parts of the city including Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape. These properties had been previously flagged in March for failure to meet the annual Ground Rent obligations, some of which date back more than four decades.
“Ownership of the revoked 4,794 properties in the Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama and Guzape districts, had already reverted to the FCTA, and as from Monday, next week, the government will begin to exercise its rights of ownership on the affected landed properties,” officials said.
Mukhtar Galadima stated that the affected premises will be sealed and entry restricted starting Monday. He added that decisions regarding the future use of the properties will be made later.
When asked about ongoing legal challenges, Director of Lands, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, clarified there had been no court orders halting the revocation process. He also noted that the FCTA is actively monitoring compliance among other defaulting landowners who were given a 21-day grace period to settle debts of between one and ten years.
“Recall that on March 18, 2025, we informed you of the revocation of 4,794 land titles in the Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama and Guzape districts,” he said, adding that these plots were part of a larger group of 8,375 titles with a total outstanding rent of nearly N7 billion.
The FCTA’s enforcement action is backed by the Land Use Act, which allows for revocation of land rights if terms such as rent payment are breached. The rent is due annually every January 1st, without the need for a reminder.
In March 2025, the FCTA had compiled a list of all defaulters in the ten oldest districts of Abuja’s Phase 1, confirming that 4,794 of them had not paid Ground Rent for over a decade. Those titles were revoked in accordance with Section 28 (5a and 5b) of the Land Use Act.
