Wike revokes 485 Abuja land titles over failed authentication

MINISTER of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike, has approved the revocation of 485 land documents in Abuja after they failed to satisfy official verification requirements.

The cancellations followed a comprehensive audit carried out by the Department of Land Administration in partnership with the Abuja Geographic Information Systems. Authorities said the review uncovered widespread irregularities, with many of the documents failing authenticity tests and several confirmed to be forged.

In a public notice issued on Monday and tagged Batch I, the Federal Capital Territory Administration announced that the affected applications had been expunged from the regularisation database, noting that the directive specifically concerned applicants who had submitted Area Council-issued land documents for validation.

According to the notice, the minister approved the nullification of applications that did not pass the required genuineness checks and were subsequently established to be fake. The administration urged members of the public, particularly those who filed area council land papers for regularisation, to take note of the development.

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The revoked titles cut across multiple area councils and layouts. In Bwari Area Council, the impacted locations include Ushafa Village Expansion Scheme, Ushafa Extension and Dawaki Extension 1.

Within the Abuja Municipal Area Council, the affected districts comprise Kurudu-Jikwoyi Relocation, Kurudu Commercial, Karu Village Extension, Nyanya Phase IV Extension, Jikwoyi Residential, Sabon Lugbe and Lugbe I Extension.

Kuchiyako One layout in Kuje Area Council also featured on the list of cancelled documents. Among those affected are the Redeemed Christian Church of God and the Ministry of Justice Staff Multi-purpose Cooperative Society, among others.

Under Nigerian law, ownership of all land in the FCT rests with the Federal Government, and land titles such as Certificates of Occupancy must be processed through the FCT Minister’s office and formalised by AGIS.

The action is part of sweeping land administration reforms being implemented by the FCTA to tackle persistent issues, including forged documentation, double allocations and questionable grants allegedly issued by some Area Councils.

Earlier revocations

In December 2025, the FCTA named the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Ibeto Cement, BUA International Limited, First Bank, and several others among organisations that had failed to pay their statutory land charges, threatening to revoke their titles. Mr Wike subsequently issued a final 14-day ultimatum to the firms for violating approved land-use terms in Asokoro, Maitama, Wuse, and Garki. He directed them to regularise their documentation and pay N5 million violation fee or face forfeiture.

“Following the notices issued by the Federal Capital Territory Administration on September 8, 9, and 10, 2025, the 30-day period for paying the N5 million penalty and other fees has expired. However, a final 14-day grace period from Tuesday, November 11, 2025, has been approved for affected property owners to comply,” his directive read.

The affected properties spanned key streets and boulevards across all four districts, including Gana and Usuma Streets in Maitama; Yakubu Gowon Crescent in Asokoro; Aminu Kano and Adetokunbo Ademola Crescents in Wuse II; and several streets in Garki I and II.

From the list of 1,095 revoked titles, three CBN-owned properties – Plot 461 in Garki II, Plot 2102 in Wuse II, and Plot 33 in the Central Area – owed a combined N92.28 million in ground rents.

First Bank owed N10.38 million, while Ecobank was mandated to pay N1.03m). GTBank owed N2.27m, while Standard Trust Bank was indebted to the tune of N611,358.

Legacy banks that were merged or acquired also featured, including NUB International Bank (now part of FCMB), Fountain Trust Bank (now Keystone), Tropical Commercial Bank (now Unity Bank), and Cooperative Bank.

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The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) – the World Bank’s lending arm – owed N191 million on a property in Asokoro. UBA’s property in Wuse II owed N411.18 million, while Continental Trust Bank (now part of UBA) owed N134.21 million.

Access Bank (via defunct Diamond Bank) had two properties, owing N268.98 million. Union Bank owes N467.77 million; Zenith Bank, N161.25 million; First Atlantic Bank (now FCMB), N22.5 million; and MBC International Bank (now First Bank), N52.5 million.

The FCTA said the enforcement drive would continue until all revoked or defaulting properties were repossessed or regularised.

The FCTA had earlier warned them to clear outstanding payments or risk losing their properties. In May 2025, Mr Wike had revoked 4,794 titles, which were linked to powerful individuals and organisations, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), CBN, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), over decades-long unpaid ground rents.