The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has sealed a Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) office in Abuja over alleged non-payment of ground rent spanning 25 years.
This action was confirmed on Monday by the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Media, Lere Olayinka, via his X (formerly Twitter) handle.
According to him, the FIRS office located in Wuse Zone 5 was sealed as part of an ongoing enforcement operation targeting defaulters.
In addition to the FIRS office, the FCTA also sealed off a property occupied by Access Bank at Wuse Market, which is reportedly owing 34 years of unpaid ground rent. A Total petrol station in Wuse Zone 3 was also shut down at the time of this report.
Background
Last Friday, the FCTA announced that it would commence enforcement actions from Monday, May 26, 2025, targeting 4,794 properties recently revoked due to non-payment of ground rent for periods ranging from 10 to 43 years.
- This announcement was made during a joint press briefing by Lere Olayinka; the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze; and the Director of the Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima.
- The officials stated that ownership of the affected properties in the Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape districts has reverted to the FCTA, which will now begin exercising full rights over them in line with existing laws and regulations—regardless of who occupies the properties.
- Addressing concerns about legal disputes, Nwankwoeze clarified that no court order currently restrains the FCTA from executing the revocations, confirming that the administration is within its legal authority to act.
He also noted that the FCTA is finalizing a compliance audit for property owners who were granted a 21-day grace period to pay off outstanding ground rents ranging from one to ten years. “As soon as the analysis is complete, appropriate action will be taken,” he said.
FIRS Headquarters not affected
When contacted by Nairametrics, a senior FIRS official, who works at the organisation’s headquarters, also located in Wuse Zone 5, confirmed that operations at their office remained normal. “I am here in the office, and everything is fine. I don’t know which one is being referred to,” he said.
Further investigation revealed that there are at least four different FIRS offices within Wuse Zone 5, making it unclear which specific facility was affected by the FCTA’s enforcement action.
