The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered the revocation of 1,095 land titles in Abuja, including plots linked to former First Lady Patience Jonathan, ex‑governors Ayodele Fayose and Abdullahi Ganduje, and several other high‑profile political, business and traditional figures. The affected properties, spread across prime districts of the Federal Capital City, were stripped of their rights of occupancy for allegedly failing to pay statutory ground rent and, in some cases, land‑use conversion and violation fees within the deadline set by the FCT Administration.
According to a public notice issued after a 14‑day final grace period expired on 25 November 2025, the FCTA said it would now “commence enforcement actions” on 835 properties that defaulted on ground rent and 260 that failed to pay land‑use conversion or violation fees, in line with Section 28(5)(a) and (b) of the Land Use Act and the conditions of their grants. The notice, circulated by Wike’s special assistant on public communications, Lere Olayinka, stressed that multiple earlier warnings had been ignored, despite publications in national newspapers, online platforms and television asking allottees to clear outstanding liabilities.
The list of those affected reads like a who‑is‑who of Nigeria’s political and business elite. Apart from Patience Jonathan, it includes former defence minister T.Y. Danjuma, former chief of army staff Ishaya Bamaiyi, ambassador‑nominee Kayode Are, and Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of ex‑President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Former governors whose titles were revoked include Ganduje (Kano), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Fayose (Ekiti), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun), Donald Duke (Cross River), Niyi Adebayo (Ekiti), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) and Gado Nasko (old Sokoto).
Also named are serving and former lawmakers such as Ali Ndume, Osita Izunaso, Iyiola Omisore, Patrick Obahiagbon and Mao Ohuabunwa, as well as traditional rulers including the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu‑Gambari.
Some deceased prominent Nigerians, among them ex‑Anambra governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju and former inspector‑general of police Ibrahim Coomassie, still appeared on the revocation list.
Federal institutions were not spared: the Office of the National Security Adviser, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian Television Authority, Nigerian Ports Authority, Federal Housing Authority and the Nigeria Police Force all lost titles on various parcels. Several state governments, major banks and at least one church were similarly affected.
In the notice, the FCTA warned that there would be no further extension of deadlines and that any holder who failed to pay within the stipulated period risked forfeiting the property entirely. Wike, who has previously sealed defaulting offices and threatened fresh crackdowns, has framed the latest move as part of a wider effort to boost internally generated revenue and enforce discipline in Abuja’s land administration.
However, the sweeping scope of the revocation—cutting across politicians from different parties, serving officials, institutions and the estates of the deceased—signals a new level of confrontation between the FCT authorities and some of Nigeria’s most powerful landholders.
