The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) yesterday sealed the National Headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP) located in Wuse Zone 5, Abuja.

A group of FCTA staff, according to The Tide source, locked the entrance gate of Wadata Plaza where the PDP’s national secretariat is located at about 2.06pm, yesterday.

This action follows the FCTA’s recent announcement on Sunday, stating its intention to reclaim properties affected by the revocation of 4,794 land titles due to non-payment of ground rent spanning 10 to 43 years

The FCTA also shut down the Federal Inland Revenue Service office in Abuja for similar violations.

Meanwhile, an Access Bank branch and a Total petrol station located in Zone 6, Wuse, Abuja, have also been shut down over non-payment of ground rent spanning 34 years.

The property occupied by Access Bank is officially allocated to Rana Tahir Furniture Nigeria Limited, not the bank directly, according to official documents.

A letter dated March 13, 2025, signed by the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, stated: “The Minister of Federal Capital Territory has in the exercise of powers conferred on him under the Land Use Act No. 6 of 1978, Cap. L5, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, revoked your rights, interests and privileges over Plot No. 2456 within Wuse I, Cadastral Zone A02, Abuja.”

The letter cited the continued default in ground rent payment as the reason for the revocation.

“The revocation is in view of your continued contravention of the terms and conditions of grant of the Right of Occupancy by failing to pay the annual ground rents due on the property for Thirty-Four (34) years,” it stated.

The closures are part of a larger enforcement campaign targeting defaulting property owners across the FCT.

According to officials, several notices and publications have been issued since 2023, warning all allottees to clear outstanding ground rent obligations.

Meanwhile, the Federal Inland Revenue Service has condemned the Federal Capital Territory Administration for shutting down one of its offices in Abuja.

The agency described the action as “malicious” and “unprofessional.”

In a statement released via X (formerly Twitter), Aderonke Atoyebi, Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the FIRS Executive Chairman, accused the FCTA of unfairly targeting the agency.

“It is highly unprofessional of the Wike-led FCTA to close our office, disrupting staff from performing their duties when we have done nothing wrong, especially during a crucial week as we prepare to sign the Tax Reform Bills. FCTA, you have erred gravely; FIRS owes you nothing,” Atoyebi asserted.

She further accused the FCTA of attempting to use FIRS as a scapegoat, adding, “If you are looking for a fall guy, look elsewhere. We should not be your scapegoat when you know full well that the falsehoods you spread in the media and your malicious, illegal actions will harm our operations.”

Atoyebi maintained that the agency has no outstanding rent payments to the FCTA for the past 25 years and insisted that all obligations had been settled up to 2023.

“We have the evidence,” she emphasised, pushing back against claims of indebtedness.

According to her, the incident comes at a critical juncture for Nigeria’s tax system, with major reform legislation expected to be finalised soon.

She warned that such disruptions could undermine public confidence and delay the implementation of key fiscal policies.

Analysts caution that escalating tensions between federal agencies may affect service delivery and create institutional instability.