FCTA shuts down FIRS, Access Bank, others over unpaid rent

In a bold move to enforce compliance with land use regulations, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Monday sealed multiple high-profile properties in Abuja, including an Access Bank branch, a Total fuel station, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) office, over decades of unpaid ground rent.

The enforcement operation, targeting chronic defaulters, revealed that the affected Access Bank premises in Wuse Zone 6 were not directly owned by the bank but allocated to Rana Tahir Furniture Nigeria Limited. The property had reportedly gone 34 years without settling required ground rent dues.

Citing persistent default, the FCTA officially revoked the Right of Occupancy on the plot, invoking powers under the Land Use Act.

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“This revocation is due to your continued contravention of the grant terms by failing to pay annual ground rents,” a letter from the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, stated.

The FIRS office was also shut for similar violations, marking a rare instance where a federal agency tasked with revenue collection faced enforcement over its own liabilities.

FCTA officials emphasized that the clampdown is part of a wider campaign to recover long-overdue revenues and enforce land compliance across the capital. Notices were issued to property owners in 2023, urging them to settle outstanding debts or risk sanctions.

Officials warn that more seizures may follow if the defaulters fail to meet their obligations.