Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has approved the cancellation of 485 Area Council land documents in Abuja after they failed official verification and were confirmed to be fake.
The decision was announced in a public notice jointly issued by the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s Department of Land Administration and the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS).
According to the notice, the affected applications did not pass required authenticity checks and have been expunged from the FCTA’s regularisation database.
“This is to inform the general public, particularly applicants who submitted Area Council land documents for regularization, 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,” the statement read.
The publication, which lists affected applicants by name, file number, layout and area council, warned holders to take note, adding that the action was taken without prejudice to further notices.
The cancelled documents span multiple districts and satellite towns across the FCT. In Bwari Area Council, the affected layouts include Ushafa Village Expansion Scheme, Ushafa Extension and Dawaki Extension 1.
Within the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), impacted areas include Kurudu-Jikwoyi Relocation, Kurudu Commercial, Karu Village Extension, Nyanya Phase IV Extension, Jikwoyi Residential, Sabon Lugbe and Lugbe I Extension.
In Kuje Area Council, the Kuchiyako One layout was also affected.
Under Nigeria’s constitution and the Land Use Act of 1978, land in the FCT is vested in the Federal Government. All titles, including Statutory Right of Occupancy and Certificates of Occupancy (C of O), must be issued under the authority of the FCT minister and properly documented through AGIS.
In recent years, the FCTA has battled widespread issues including forged land titles, double allocations, unauthorised Area Council allocations, land speculation and syndicated fraud involving forged signatures and inaccurate survey plans.
Earlier in 2025, the administration intensified calls for the submission and regularisation of Area Council land documents, noting that only a small percentage had been successfully vetted out of tens of thousands submitted since 2006. A 60-day deadline was issued for compliance with statutory requirements, including payment of fees and documentation updates.
While previous enforcement measures largely focused on unpaid ground rent and statutory charges, the latest cancellations are specifically linked to forgery and lack of genuineness.
The development has reportedly left several purported title holders scrambling to seek clarification and possible remedies following the invalidation.
