FCTA Seals FIRS Headquarters in Abuja Over 25 Years Unpaid Ground Rent

Abuja, Nigeria – In a dramatic turn of events, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) today sealed off a prominent office of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) located at 20 Sokode Crescent, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja. The enforcement action, which was confirmed by the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Media, Lere Olayinka, comes after the FIRS allegedly failed to pay ground rent for a staggering 25 years.

This move is part of a broader, intensified enforcement drive by the FCTA, targeting thousands of properties in the Federal Capital Territory whose land titles have been revoked due to prolonged non-payment of ground rent. The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had previously directed the sealing of properties that had defaulted on ground rent payments for 10 years and above, with some debts reportedly stretching back as far as 43 years.

The FIRS building in Wuse Zone 5 is among the 4,794 properties whose land titles were revoked in March 2025. These properties, located across key districts including Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape, collectively owe the FCTA an estimated N6.96 billion in ground rent.

While the FIRS is the federal government’s primary agency for tax collection, the FCTA’s action highlights the administration’s resolve to enforce land use regulations and recover outstanding revenues, regardless of the defaulter’s status. The FCTA had given a 21-day grace period for defaulters owing between one and ten years to settle their debts, but the FIRS office in question appears to fall into the category of long-term non-compliance.

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The sealing of the FIRS office is expected to raise questions about inter-governmental financial obligations and could temporarily impact operations at that specific FIRS location. However, it is important to note that FIRS has recently been pushing for digital tax collection through its “TaxPro Max” platform to minimize leakages and streamline processes, which might mitigate the broader impact on tax revenue collection.

FCTA officials have reiterated that the exercise is purely in line with extant laws and regulations guiding the process, and will be carried out “without consideration as to ownership of the affected landed properties.” This strong stance signals the FCTA’s commitment to boosting its internally generated revenue (IGR) and ensuring compliance with land tenure agreements across the capital city. The FCTA is expected to decide the fate of the sealed properties in due course.