The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Monday sealed off an Access Bank branch and a Total petrol station in Wuse Zone 6, Abuja, for failing to settle ground rent arrears spanning an astonishing 34 years.
According to official documents obtained by [Your News Outlet], the property housing the Access Bank branch is legally allocated to Rana Tahir Furniture Nigeria Limited, not directly to the financial institution.
A revocation letter dated March 13, 2025, and signed by the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, confirmed the action. The letter noted that the FCT Minister exercised his powers under the Land Use Act No. 6 of 1978, Cap. L5, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, to revoke the rights, interests, and privileges over Plot No. 2456, Wuse I, Cadastral Zone A02, Abuja.
The letter cited persistent default in payment of annual ground rent for 34 consecutive years as the basis for the revocation.
“The revocation is in view of your continued contravention of the terms and conditions of the Right of Occupancy by failing to pay the annual ground rents due on the property for thirty-four (34) years,” the letter stated.
In a related enforcement action, the FCTA also shut down a Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) office in Abuja for similar violations, signaling a broader crackdown on defaulting property owners in Nigeria’s capital.
An official from the FCTA’s Department of Development Control, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that several public notices and publications had been issued since 2023, urging allottees to clear outstanding ground rent debts or face sanctions, including property revocation and sealing.
