The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has approved the cancellation of 485 land documents in Abuja after they failed to meet verification and authenticity standards set by the authorities.
The affected land titles were nullified following an extensive review conducted by the Department of Land Administration in collaboration with the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS). Officials disclosed that many of the documents did not pass official genuineness checks and were confirmed to be fake.
FCTA Issues Public Notice
In a public notice marked Batch I, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) informed the general public—particularly applicants who submitted Area Council land documents for regularisation—that the approvals had been withdrawn.
The notice stated:
“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.”
Authorities confirmed that the invalid applications have been removed from the regularisation database.
Affected Areas and Layouts
The cancelled land documents span several Area Councils and layouts within the FCT:
Bwari Area Council
- Ushafa Village Expansion Scheme
- Ushafa Extension
- Dawaki Extension 1
Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC)
- 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
Some of the affected entities include the Redeemed Christian Church of God and the Ministry of Justice Staff Multi-purpose Cooperative Society, among others.
Legal Backing and Land Administration Reforms
Under Nigerian law, all land within the FCT is vested in the Federal Government. Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) and other land titles must be processed through the Office of the FCT Minister and formalised by AGIS.
The latest cancellations form part of ongoing land administration reforms initiated by the FCTA to tackle long-standing issues such as:
- Forged land documents
- Double allocations
- Irregular grants issued by Area Councils
- Delays in document screening
Screening Backlog Raises Concern
The background to the current reform drive dates back to last year when the FCTA revealed that only 8,287 out of 261,914 Area Council land documents submitted between 2006 and 2023 had been screened.
That figure represents just 3.2 percent of total submissions, leaving 253,627 documents pending in the database.
Officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) admitted that progress has been slow, noting that 96.8 percent of submissions were still awaiting clearance at the time of disclosure.
What This Means for Landowners
The cancellations signal stricter enforcement of land documentation standards in Abuja. Property holders are expected to ensure that their titles are properly processed through AGIS and the FCT Minister’s office to avoid future nullification.
The move underscores the administration’s commitment to sanitising the FCT land registry system and restoring credibility to Abuja’s property market.
