Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, has revoked land titles belonging to several prominent individuals, including a foundation named after former President Muhammadu Buhari, former Chief Justice of Nigeria Walter Onnoghen, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, stated on Thursday that his principle did not own the revoked land.
She stated that the plot was awarded in the name of the “Muhammadu Buhari Foundation,” as the former President already “has a plot of land to his name in Abuja.”
In a statement issued on Thursday, Shehu stated, “As with anything Buhari—and there is no surprise in this—there is a lot of buzz in the media on the reported seizure of a piece of land by the authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, allegedly belonging to the former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The [former] President is not the owner of the stated plot of property, which is designated in the name of the ‘Muhammadu Buhari Foundation.’ The Foundation was founded by certain utilitarian individuals surrounding him, who, it should be noted, did it legally and with the help of a number of well-meaning others.
“But they ran into a roadblock in the FCDA’s land department, which handed them an outrageous bill for the issuance of the certificate of occupancy, very high in cost that did not at all compare with the bills given to similar organisations,” he added, implying either an error or deliberate obstruction.
The FCTA reported on Thursday that 762 land plots in Maitama District had been revoked due to nonpayment of statutory fees.
These individuals and corporations also failed to pay for their C-of-O paperwork, resulting in the forfeiture of their land rights.
The revocation was taken out under Section 28 of the Land Use Act of 1978, which gives the Minister the authority to revoke land rights for noncompliance with payment commitments.
“The Federal Capital Territory Administration wishes to inform the allottee(s)/title holder(s) of plots of land in Maitama 1 who have failed to make payment for their Certificate of Occupancy bills that their Right of Occupancy to the land/property has been withdrawn,” according to the FCTA notification.
The FCTA also issued a warning to 614 other persons and businesses, advising them that their rights of occupancy would be revoked if they did not pay unpaid debts within two weeks.
“Among those whose C-of-O were revoked are the Muhammadu Buhari Trust Foundation, owned by former President Muhammadu Buhari; former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and his wife, Regina Akume; and Kaduna Governor, Uba Sani. The list includes former and serving lawmakers such as Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Chibudom Nwuche, former Senate Leader Teslim Folarin, former House of Representatives member Nnenna Ukeje, and former Senators Andy Uba and Smart Adeyemi, according to the notice.
