The federal capital territory administration (FCTA) has sealed the headquarters of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in Abuja over the alleged unpaid ground rent.
FCTA officials on Monday sealed the office in Zone 5 in an operation that saw many public and private buildings shut down for the same reason.
An Access Bank office in Wuse market and a Total petrol station in the same area were also affected, alongside a Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) office in Zone 5.
According to the FCTA, the allottee of the building occupied by Access Bank owes 34 years of ground rent, while the rent owed by FIRS spans 25 years.
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Ground rent is a yearly fee landowners pay for the right to occupy and use their land.
The FCT administration said 8,375 property owners collectively owe about N6.97 billion, with some debts dating back more than 40 years.
The shutdowns follow a major enforcement drive by the FCTA, which recently cancelled 4,794 land titles in key Abuja districts, including Wuse, Maitama, Asokoro, and Garki, due to long-standing unpaid ground rents.
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