FCTA Commences Prosecution of N29 bn Ground Rents Debtors

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in its determination to recover all Ground Rent debts owed it by property owners in Abuja has commenced the prosecution of the 413 defaulting titleholders, who are yet to pay their Ground Rents debt.

The FCTA Director of Information, Mohammed Sule said in a statement yesterday that the administration filed the court cases against the property owners over their failure to pay the prescribed land chargers amounting to over N29 billion

He said the FCTA is seeking for an order to force the debtors to clear their debts or forfeit the affected property, since they are recalcitrant in paying the debt, despite several appeals.

 He said the legal fireworks may lead to the forfeiture of the affected property to the government in line with relevant laws.

The FCTA last month announced its preparedness to prosecute about 413 defaulting property owners by end of the August 2022, being the first set.

 Sule lashed some of the debtors for reneging in paying their outstanding Ground Rents, in spite of several appeals and warnings, thereby jeopardizing government’s effort at providing critical services to the residents.

“The government insisted that since all entreaties have failed, it has no other option than to commence the prosecution of the first batch of the defaulting property owners,” the statement said.

It would be recalled that the FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr. Adesola Olusade, recently inaugurated a debt recovery committee with the mandate to recover the outstanding debts owed the FCT Administration with particular interest in ground rents and other sundry fees in the Land Administration as well as other Land related departments.

 The Coordinating Committee on the Recovery of Outstanding Ground Rent and Other Related Charges in the FCT is headed by the FCT General Counsel/Secretary Legal Secretariat, Mohammed Babangida Umar. The Committee earlier announced the engagement of five law firms, owned by Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs),  to prepare legal documents to commence legal action against the defaulting titleholders.

The FCT Administration vowed that it would not retreat in pursuing the legal option, because it needs funds   to provide infrastructural development.