The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has revoked land titles belonging to several prominent individuals, including a foundation in the name of former President Muhammadu Buhari, former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
In a notice on Thursday, the FCTA announced the revocation of 762 plots of land in Maitama District due to the non-payment of statutory fees.
The minister’s decision affected 759 distinguished individuals and organisations in the Maitama II area of Abuja after they failed to pay the required Certificate of Occupancy fees.
This announcement was made public through a release from the FCT Administration and shared with media organisations by the minister’s senior special assistant on public communication and social media, Lere Olayinka.
These individuals and entities also failed to pay for their C-of-O documents, which led to the forfeiture of their land rights.
The revocation was carried out under Section 28 of the Land Use Act of 1978, which grants the Minister the power to withdraw land rights for non-compliance with payment obligations.
According to the provision of the Act, the non-payment of statutory fees by landowners are considered violations for which allocated plots can be revoked. Affected properties worth millions and billions of Naira in a document.
“The Federal Capital Territory Administration wishes to inform the allottee(s)/title holder(s) of plots of land in Maitama 1 who have failed to make payment for their Certificate of Occupancy bills that their Right of Occupancy to the land/property has been withdrawn,” the FCTA notice stated.
The FCTA also issued a warning to 614 other individuals and companies, informing them that their Rights of Occupancy would be withdrawn if they failed to settle outstanding bills within two weeks.
“Among those whose C-of-O were revoked are the Muhammadu Buhari Trust Foundation owned by former President Muhammadu Buhari; former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and his wife, Regina Akume; and Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna. Former and serving lawmakers on the list include Senate Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno; former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche; former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin; former House of Reps member, Nnenna Ukeje; and former Senators Andy Uba and Smart Adeyemi,” the notice further stated.
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In a separate statement, Wike warned that he would also revoke land titles held by minority leader of the House of Representatives Kingsley Chinda, former Senate Presidents Iyorchia Ayu and Ameh Ebute, Chief Whip of the Senate Tahir Monguno, and 610 other individuals if they do not settle their outstanding fees with the FCT Administration within two weeks.
The minister also threatened to revoke lands owned by former and serving lawmakers including the Chief Whip of the Senate, Tahir Monguno; former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche; former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin; Nnenna Ukeje; Obinna Chidoka; Dapo Lam-Adesina; Leo Ogor; Francis Alimkhena; Smart Adeyemi and Lynda Ikpeazu.
Others are Andy Uba; Biodun Olujimi; Agom Jarigbe; Kingsley Chinda; Ben Obi; former Governor of Ebonyi State, Sam Egwu; former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah and the incumbent Deputy Governor of Edo State, Dennis Idahosa.
Meanwhile, In a statement on Thursday, however, Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, said his principal was not the owner of the revoked land.
She said the plot was allocated in the name of “Muhammadu Buhari Foundation,” as the former President already “has a plot of land to his name in Abuja.”
In a statement he issued on Thursday, Shehu said, “As with anything Buhari—and there is no surprise in this at all—there is a lot of buzz in the media on the reported seizure of a piece of land by the authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, allegedly belonging to the former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The [former] President is personally not the owner of the said plot of the land which is allocated in the name of ‘Muhammadu Buhari Foundation.’ The Foundation was itself floated by some utilitarian individuals around him, who, it must be said, went about it in a lawful manner with the support of a number of well-meaning persons.
“But they ran into a roadblock in the land department of the FCDA which handed them an outrageous bill for the issuance of the certificate of occupancy, very high in cost that did not at all compare with the bills given to similar organisations,” he added, suggesting the likelihood of either an error or deliberate obstruction.
