Wike Drops The Hammer! 4,794 Landowners Lose Titles In Abuja Crackdown

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has approved the revocation of 4,794 land titles due to non-payment of ground rent for over 40 years.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

According to a statement released by the Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, alongside the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Director of Lands, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, a total of 8,375 property owners in key areas such as the Central Area, Garki I & II, Wuse I & II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape have failed to pay their ground rent for the past 43 years.

The statement emphasized that the non-payment violates the conditions outlined in the Rights of Occupancy, as stipulated in Section 28, Subsections 5(a) and (b) of the Land Use Act.

To address the issue, the Minister has granted a 21-day grace period for property owners who have defaulted for one to ten years. Failure to settle outstanding payments within this timeframe will result in the revocation of their land titles.

The FCTA noted that multiple public notices and announcements were made in 2023, urging defaulters to clear their outstanding ground rent, but the response remained poor. It reiterated that the payment of ground rent is legally required and due annually on January 1st without prior demand.

As of the end of 2024, property owners in the affected districts owed a cumulative sum of ₦6,967,980,119 in ground rent. Of the 8,375 defaulters, 4,794 landowners have failed to make payments for at least ten years, leading to the immediate revocation of their titles.

The statement warned that after the 21-day grace period, any remaining defaulters would also face revocation of their land titles.