THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has approved the nullification of 485 land documents in the nation’s capital due to failed verification.
Consequently, the affected land titles have been removed from the regularisation database, after an extensive review conducted by the Department of Land Administration in collaboration with the Abuja Geographic Information Systems, according to a public notice issued by the FCT Administration.
The notice targets applicants who submitted area council land documents for validation. Part of it read, “This is to inform the general public, particularly applicants who submitted area council land documents for regularisation, that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory has approved the nullification or cancellation of applications that failed the necessary official checks for genuineness and have been confirmed to be fake.”
The cancelled documents cover various area councils and layouts, including Ushafa Village Expansion Scheme, Ushafa Extension, and Dawaki Extension 1 in Bwari Area Council; Kurudu-Jikwoyi Relocation, Kurudu Commercial, Karu Village Extension, Nyanya Phase IV Extension, Jikwoyi Residential, Sabon Lugbe, and Lugbe I Extension in Abuja Municipal Area Council; and Kuchiyako One layout in Kuje Area Council.
Affected parties include the Redeemed Christian Church of God and Ministry of Justice Staff Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society.
The cancellation forms part of ongoing land administration reforms aimed at addressing issues like forged documents and irregular grants.
This follows a review showing only 8,287 of 261,914 Area Council land documents submitted between 2006 and 2023 were screened, with 96.8 per cent pending clearance, according to a Punch’s report.
The FCTA under Wike has been tough with people who have allegedly breached laws relating to land use in the nation’s capital.
THE ICIR reported that the FCTA recently released the names of 1,095 individuals and organisations whose properties’ titles were revoked over their failure to settle statutory land charges.
In a notice signed by the FCTA, the agency stated that enforcement actions would begin after the 14-day final grace period ended on November 25.
Most of the affected properties listed in the properties were mostly in highbrow neighborhoods such as Asokoro, Maitama, Garki, and Wuse area of the nation’s capital.
According to the administration, of the revoked titles, 835 properties defaulted on ground rent payments while 260 failed to pay violation and land use conversion fees.
Among those affected were former governor of Kano, Abdullahi Ganduje; former governor of Cross River, Donald Duke; wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience Jonathan; former Senate President, David Mark; and former deputy governor of Osun State, Iyiola Omisore.
The FCTA had urged the properties owners to settle outstanding charges to avoid enforcement of its threat to revoke their titles.
In May 2025, the administration announced the takeover of 4,794 properties in the heart of the city. The properties include the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) National Secretariat, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The FCTA cited decades of unpaid ground rent, some stretching 10 to 43 years.
The Nigerian Government owns all land within the FCT, and land titles are processed through the FCT Minister’s office and formalised by AGIS.