FCTA Seals Access Bank Branch and Total Filling Station in Abuja Over 34-Year Ground Rent Debt

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Monday sealed off a branch of Access Bank and a Total petrol station in Zone 6, Wuse, Abuja, for failing to pay ground rent owed for 34 years.

According to official documents, the property housing Access Bank is not directly owned by the bank but was allocated to Rana Tahir Furniture Nigeria Limited.

In a revocation notice dated March 13, 2025, and signed by the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, the FCT Minister revoked the land rights over Plot No. 2456, Wuse I, Cadastral Zone A02. The notice cited the longstanding non-payment of ground rent as the reason for the action.

“The revocation is in view of your continued contravention of the terms and conditions of the Right of Occupancy by failing to pay the annual ground rent on the property for 34 years,” the letter read.

Similarly, the FCTA also sealed the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) office in Abuja for the same violation.

The closures are part of a broader enforcement effort by the FCTA targeting property owners who have defaulted on ground rent payments. Officials noted that multiple warnings and public notices had been issued since 2023, urging all allottees to settle their outstanding debts.