See Why FCTA shuts down FIRS office

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has sealed a Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) office in Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, after the agency allegedly failed to pay ground rent for 25 years.

Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Media to the FCT Minister, confirmed the development on Monday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, describing it as part of an ongoing clampdown on long-term defaulters.

The FIRS facility wasn’t the only one affected. A property occupied by Access Bank at Wuse Market was also shut for owing 34 years of ground rent, alongside a Total petrol station in Wuse Zone 3.

The FCTA recently announced it would begin enforcing rent-related property revocations starting May 26, targeting 4,794 properties that have defaulted for periods ranging from 10 to 43 years. The crackdown affects areas like Central Area, Garki I & II, Wuse I & II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape.

At a joint press briefing, top FCTA officials, including Director of Land Administration Chijioke Nwankwoeze and Director of Development Control Mukhtar Galadima, declared that legal ownership of revoked properties had reverted to the government.

Nwankwoeze assured the public that no legal order currently restricts the enforcement, emphasizing that the action complies fully with the law. He also revealed that a compliance audit is ongoing for property owners given a 21-day grace period to clear debts between one and ten years.

Despite the stature of those affected, the FCTA says the law will be applied equally, promising more enforcement in the weeks ahead.

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