The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has begun legal action against defaulting titleholders who have yet to pay their Ground Rents debts.
According to the government, the court cases were filed after property owners refused to pay the prescribed land chargers.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by Muhammad Sule, FCTA Director of Information, those affected have been given ample time to repay the N29.5 billion debt.
The government had stated that it was ready to prosecute the first 413 defaulting landlords by the end of August 2022.
Sule expressed concern that a number of debtors had failed to respond to several appeals and warnings, jeopardizing the government’s efforts to provide critical services to residents.
Adesola Olusade, the FCT Permanent Secretary, established a debt recovery committee to recover unpaid rents and other fees in the Land Administration.
Mohammed Umar, the FCT General Counsel/Secretary Legal Secretariat, chairs the Coordinating Committee on the Recovery of Outstanding Ground Rent and Other Related Charges.
The team hired five law firms, all of which were owned by Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), to prepare legal documents in order to file a lawsuit against the defaulting titleholders.
The FCTA has stated that it will not back down from pursuing the legal option because it requires funds for infrastructure development.
“There will be no sacred cows because the law will undoubtedly take its course because the only language it will understand is debtors clearing their outstanding debt,” Sule added.
The administration revealed the districts in Abuja with the highest number of debtors in July. The list was topped by Asokoro, Maitama, Wuse, and Garki.
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