The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has approved the cancellation of 485 land titles in Abuja after failing official authenticity checks, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) confirmed on Monday.
The affected documents were identified following a comprehensive review by the Department of Land Administration in partnership with the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS). Several submissions were confirmed to be forged, prompting immediate nullification.
In a public notice labeled Batch I, the FCTA stated that invalid applications had been removed from the land regularisation database. The notice targeted applicants who submitted Area Council land documents for verification, reading:
“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.”
Affected Areas and Layouts
The cancellations span several Area Councils, including:
Bwari Area Council: Ushafa Village Expansion Scheme, Ushafa Extension, Dawaki Extension 1
Abuja Municipal Area Council: Kurudu-Jikwoyi Relocation, Kurudu Commercial, Karu Village Extension, Nyanya Phase IV Extension, Jikwoyi Residential, Sabon Lugbe, Lugbe I Extension
Kuje Area Council: Kuchiyako One layout
Among the affected titleholders are the Redeemed Christian Church of God and the Ministry of Justice Staff Multi-purpose Cooperative Society.
Background and Land Reforms
All FCT land is vested in the Federal Government, and Certificates of Occupancy must be formalised through the Minister’s office and AGIS.
The cancellations are part of ongoing land administration reforms by the FCTA, addressing forged documents, double allocations, and irregular grants issued by some Area Councils. Between 2006 and 2023, only 8,287 of 261,914 submitted documents have been verified, leaving 96.8% pending, highlighting the urgency of continued reforms.
