Caleb Onwe 
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced plans to take full possession of 4,794 properties recently revoked due to non-payment of Ground Rent, with some defaults spanning between 10 and 43 years.
The announcement was made during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday by the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka; Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze; and Director of the Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima.
According to the officials, the FCTA has concluded arrangements to begin the reclamation process starting Monday, May 26, 2025.
On the matter of potential court challenges, Nwankwoeze clarified that no court has issued any order stopping the revocation process. He affirmed that the FCTA is fully within its legal rights to enforce compliance and reclaim the affected properties.
He also disclosed that the administration is currently compiling records of titleholders who defaulted on Ground Rent payments ranging from one to ten years. These individuals had earlier been given a 21-day grace period to settle their debts.
New Telegraph gathered that the ownership of the revoked properties, located in highbrow areas including Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape, has reverted to the government. Beginning Monday, the FCTA will exercise full rights of ownership over the properties.
Officials emphasized that the repossession would be carried out strictly in line with extant laws and regulations, regardless of the identity of the previous owners.
In March, the FCTA released a list of land titles in default of Ground Rent payments across the ten oldest districts of Phase 1 of the Federal Capital City (FCC), including Central Area (Cadastral Zone A00), Garki I (A01), Wuse I (A02), Garki II (A03), Asokoro (A04), Maitama (A05 and A06), Wuse II (A07 and A08), and Guzape (A09).
In these districts, a total of 4,794 land titles were found to be in default for over a decade. The cumulative Ground Rent owed by 8,375 property owners stood at N6.97 billion.
The FCTA reiterated its commitment to enforcing compliance and maintaining proper land administration within the Federal Capital Territory.
