Sh*ck As FCTA Shuts Down Access Bank, Total Station Over 34-Year Rent Debt

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has sealed off a branch of Access Bank and a Total petrol station located in Wuse, Abuja, over an outstanding ground rent debt that has accumulated for 34 years.

This action is part of a broader enforcement drive targeting property owners who have failed to meet their statutory obligations.

According to a letter dated March 13, 2025, and signed by Chijioke Nwankwoeze, Director of Land Administration, the property is officially allocated to Rana Tahir Furniture Nigeria Limited—not directly to Access Bank.

The letter stated that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, acting under the authority granted by the Land Use Act No. 6 of 1978, Cap. L5, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, has revoked the rights, interests, and privileges attached to Plot No. 2456 in Wuse I, Cadastral Zone A02, Abuja.

The FCTA cited the continuous failure to pay ground rent as the main reason for the revocation. “This revocation is a result of your prolonged breach of the Right of Occupancy terms, specifically the non-payment of annual ground rent over a 34-year period,” the letter reads.

The administration further noted that since 2023, multiple notices and public announcements had been issued, urging allottees to settle their outstanding dues.

These recent closures are part of a wider crackdown by the FCTA, which recently revoked 4,794 land titles in major Abuja districts such as Wuse, Maitama, Asokoro, and Garki, due to unpaid ground rents dating back more than a decade.

Officials report that 8,375 property owners owe the government around ₦6.97 billion in arrears, with some debts stretching back over 40 years.

The FCT Minister emphasized that the revocations align with Section 28(5) of the Land Use Act, which empowers the government to repossess land from defaulters who fail to meet the conditions tied to their land titles.