Wike Revokes Land Titles of Prominent Figures, Including Buhari Foundation, Onnoghen, and Akume

 

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has revoked land titles for several high-profile individuals, including the Muhammadu Buhari Foundation, former Chief Justice of Nigeria Walter Onnoghen, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.

In response to the development, Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, clarified on Thursday that the former President was not personally the owner of the revoked land. Shehu explained that the plot in question was allocated to the “Muhammadu Buhari Foundation,” which was established by individuals close to the former President in a lawful manner, with support from various well-meaning people. He added that the foundation faced significant challenges with the FCDA’s land department, citing an unusually high fee for the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O), which he suggested may have been either an error or an intentional obstruction.

In a related notice, the FCTA announced the revocation of 762 land plots in the Maitama District due to the failure of their owners to pay the required statutory fees. These individuals and organizations also failed to settle the costs for their C-of-O documents, resulting in the forfeiture of their land rights. The action was taken under Section 28 of the Land Use Act of 1978, which gives the Minister the authority to withdraw land rights for non-compliance with payment obligations.

The FCTA notice specifically mentioned the revocation of land rights for several prominent figures, including the Muhammadu Buhari Trust Foundation, Onnoghen, Akume, Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen, and Governor of Kaduna, Uba Sani. The list also included former lawmakers such as Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno, former Deputy Speaker Chibudom Nwuche, former Senate Leader Teslim Folarin, and other ex-parliamentarians.

Additionally, the FCTA issued a warning to 614 individuals and entities, informing them that their land rights would also be revoked if they failed to settle outstanding payments within two weeks.