Embassy Closure Threat: SERAP Urges Tinubu to Caution Wike, Cites Vienna Convention

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately rein in the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, following the latter’s threat to shut down 34 embassies over unpaid ground rents in Abuja.

In a strongly worded statement shared on its official X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, June 10, SERAP warned that Wike’s plan not only undermines Nigeria’s diplomatic reputation but could also breach international law, specifically Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

“President Tinubu should urgently caution and direct the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to immediately withdraw the threat to close down 34 embassies in Abuja. The threat is contrary to Article 22 of the Vienna Convention,” SERAP said.

According to the rights group, Article 22 makes it clear that the premises of diplomatic missions are inviolable and cannot be entered or tampered with by host country authorities. Paragraph 1 of the article states that “the premises of the mission shall be inviolable,” while Paragraph 3 forbids the “search, requisition, attachment or execution” on diplomatic properties.

The controversy began when Minister Wike, in a bid to enforce the payment of longstanding ground rent debts, threatened to revoke over 4,700 land titles, including those of embassies and other properties owing since 2014. The FCT Administration claims that foreign missions collectively owe over ₦3.6 billion in unpaid dues.

While the Tinubu administration intervened on May 26 by granting a 14-day grace period for defaulters to clear their debts, that deadline expired on Monday, June 9, prompting concerns that enforcement could commence imminently.

Although some institutions, including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), have reportedly settled their outstanding dues, several embassies named in the list have pushed back.

The Russian Embassy insisted it has paid all necessary fees and holds the documentation to prove it. Similar denials were issued by the German and Turkish embassies, who claimed they had not received any formal notification from the FCT Administration. They suggested that their inclusion in the list may be due to clerical or bureaucratic errors.

Other embassies affected by the threat include those of Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Thailand, Philippines, Congo, Venezuela, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Zambia, Iraq, Netherlands, Ireland, Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, and Guinea.

The FCT Administration’s Director of Land, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, stated that penalty fees ranging between ₦2 million and ₦3 million were applied based on property locations.

Legal and diplomatic experts have warned that any attempt to enforce the closure of embassies or consular offices could spark an international diplomatic crisis, damaging Nigeria’s image and violating international protocols.

“This kind of action could isolate Nigeria diplomatically,” one international law expert told reporters. “The Vienna Convention exists to prevent such occurrences. It’s not about whether a country owes money—it’s about preserving diplomatic relations and respecting sovereignty.”

As of press time, neither President Tinubu nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had issued an official response to SERAP’s appeal.

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