FCTA To Take Possession Of 4,794 Revoked Properties

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will from Monday, May 26, 2025, begin to take possession of 4,794 properties in Abuja whose land titles were revoked in March due to prolonged non-payment of ground rent for 10 to 43 years.

This was disclosed at a press briefing on Friday by the FCT Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, alongside the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, and the Director of the Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima.

According to the officials, the properties in question are located in some of Abuja’s most prominent districts: 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, 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,” they jointly said, adding that the exercise will be carried out strictly in accordance with existing laws and regulations, and without regard to the previous ownership of the properties.

Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, stated that starting Monday, the affected properties will be sealed and access restricted.

He noted that the FCTA will determine the future of these properties in due course.

While addressing concerns over possible legal disputes, Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, clarified that there is currently no court ruling that halts the revocation process.

“There is no legal decision restraining the FCTA, so the administration is free to carry out its lawful responsibilities,” he said.

Nwankwoeze also revealed that beyond the 4,794 revoked properties, the FCTA is still compiling records on compliance and non-compliance for an additional set of title holders who defaulted in Ground Rent payment for between one and ten years. These individuals he said were granted a 21-day grace period to settle their obligations.

THE WHISTLER reports that on March 18, 2025, the FCTA announced the revocation of 4,794 land titles across ten of the oldest districts in Phase 1 of the Federal Capital City (FCC).

These districts include:
• Central Area (Cadastral Zone A00)
• Garki I (Cadastral Zone A01)
• Wuse I (Cadastral Zone A02)
• Garki II (Cadastral Zone A03)
• Asokoro (Cadastral Zone A04)
• Maitama (Cadastral Zones A05 and A06)
• Wuse II (Cadastral Zones A07 and A08)
• Guzape (Cadastral Zone A09)

The 4,794 titles is part of a group of 8,375 land titles on which Ground Rent had not been paid for periods ranging from one to 43 years. As of March 2025, the outstanding Ground Rent totaled N6.97bn.

FCTA officials stressed that failure to pay Ground Rent violates the terms and conditions of the Right of Occupancy, as stipulated under Section 28, Subsections 5(a) and (b) of the Land Use Act. Ground Rent payments are legally due on January 1st of every year, without demand.

The FCTA has assured that relevant government agencies will carry out the property possession exercise in accordance with due process, and reiterated its commitment to enforcing compliance and ensuring responsible land administration in the FCT.

FCTA To Take Possession Of 4,794 Revoked Properties is first published on The Whistler Newspaper