Because ground rent was not paid, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) closed an Access Bank branch and a Total gas station in Wuse, Abuja.
Targeting property owners who have fallen behind on their statutory obligations, this effort is a component of a larger enforcement campaign.
The closures follow a major FCTA crackdown in which 4,794 land titles in key districts of Abuja, including Wuse, Maitama, Asokoro, and Garki, were recently revoked due to unpaid ground rentals that had been outstanding for more than ten years. FCTA authorities estimate that 8,375 property owners, some of whom have been in arrears for more than 40 years, owing ₦6.97 billion in ground rent.
Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, stressed that the revocations were carried out in compliance with Section 28(5) of the Land Use Act, which gives the government the authority to take back land from titleholders who don’t fulfill the requirements of their occupancy rights.