FCTA seals Access Bank, Total petrol station in Abuja over unpaid ground rent
The federal capital territory administration (FCTA) on Monday sealed an Access Bank branch and a Total petrol station located in Abuja’s Wuse district over non-payment of ground rent.
The FCT administration said the property being occupied by the Access Bank is owing 34 years ground rent.
According to a notice of revocation of the right of occupancy served to the owner of the property dated March 1, 2025, there have been many publications by the FCTA since 2023 in several national dailies and electronic media requesting allottees of plots in Abuja to pay their outstanding ground rent.
The closures come in the wake of a significant crackdown by the FCTA, which recently revoked 4,794 land titles across Abuja’s prime districts—including Wuse, Maitama, Asokoro, and Garki—over unpaid ground rent spanning more than a decade.
According to FCTA officials, 8,375 property owners owe approximately N6.97 billion in ground rent arrears, some dating back over 40 years.
Nyesom Wike, minister of the FCT, had noted that the revocations were in line with section 28(5) of the Land Use Act, which permits the government to reclaim land from titleholders who fail to meet the conditions of their occupancy rights.
