The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has ordered the cancellation of 485 land documents across the FCT after they failed verification checks.

The decision followed a review by the Department of Land Administration and the Abuja Geographic Information Systems.

According to officials, many of the applications were found to be fake and could not pass authenticity screening.

A public notice issued by the FCT Administration confirmed that the affected files have been removed from the regularisation database.
The notice warned holders of the invalid documents to take note of the development.

“This is to inform the general public, particularly applicants who submitted Area Council land documents for regularisation, that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory has approved the nullification or cancellation of applications that failed the necessary official checks for genuineness and have been confirmed to be fake.”

Authorities explained that the action reflects the minister’s resolve to sanitise the land administration system in Abuja.

The cancelled documents cut across several Area Councils and layouts.
In Bwari Area Council, affected layouts include Ushafa Village Expansion Scheme, Ushafa Extension and Dawaki Extension 1.

In the Abuja Municipal Area Council, the impacted areas include Kurudu-Jikwoyi Relocation, Kurudu Commercial, Karu Village Extension, Nyanya Phase IV Extension, Jikwoyi Residential, Sabon Lugbe and Lugbe I Extension.

In Kuje Area Council, Kuchiyako One layout was listed among those affected.

Under Nigerian law, all land in the Federal Capital Territory belongs to the Federal Government.
Titles such as Certificates of Occupancy must be issued through the office of the FCT Minister and processed by AGIS.

Officials said the territory has battled widespread problems linked to forged land papers, double allocations and unapproved Area Council grants.
Some cases involved fake signatures, manipulated survey plans and syndicates operating around land sales.

Earlier this year, the FCTA directed landholders to submit documents for verification and regularisation.
Thousands of files dating back to 2006 were reviewed, but only a small number passed screening.

The administration had also issued deadlines for payments and documentation, warning that defaulting landholders risked losing their titles.

However, this latest action is focused mainly on fraud and lack of genuineness, not on unpaid fees or undeveloped plots.