Prominent human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has advised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, against taking any unilateral action to seal off embassies and foreign missions over unpaid ground rents in Abuja.
Falana issued the warning during a Monday appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, responding to recent reports that 34 embassies, including those of the Russian Federation, Germany, and Switzerland, were among the defaulters listed by the FCT Administration.
According to Falana, such actions could provoke serious diplomatic repercussions, noting that international conventions protect diplomatic missions from such enforcement measures.
“The premises of embassies are inviolable under Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Any attempt to invade them due to ground rent issues would violate international law and cause diplomatic friction,” he said.
The FCT Administration had earlier published a list of nearly 9,000 individuals and organisations said to be owing ground rents. The authorities warned of possible forfeiture and had already begun sealing some properties, including the PDP national secretariat. A 14-day grace period was later approved by President Bola Tinubu, which expired on June 6, coinciding with the Eid holiday.
Falana stressed that the FCT minister lacks the legal authority to seal any property without a court order. He cited multiple judgments from Nigerian courts reinforcing the illegality of such actions without due process.
“There are about 20 court rulings, including from the Supreme Court, which establish that the FCT cannot unilaterally seal properties. The right to fair hearing under Section 36 of the Constitution and Article 7 of the African Charter must be respected,” he explained.
He urged both the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to immediately intervene and caution the FCT Minister.
“The rule of law must prevail. If someone owes, go to court. There’s an Urban and Regional Planning Tribunal in Abuja designed to resolve such issues. Sealing embassies will only deepen the crisis,” Falana concluded.
As Abuja residents and diplomatic missions await the government’s next steps following the Sallah holidays, concerns continue to mount over how the Wike-led administration will proceed without breaching legal or diplomatic boundaries.
