The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has begun prosecution of defaulting titleholders in Abuja who are yet to pay their ground rent debt.
The government has already filed court cases against some property owners for failing to pay the prescribed land chargers.
The government is seeking an order compelling debtors to pay their debts or forfeit the affected property because they have refused to pay the debt despite several appeals.
The FCTA announced last month that it was prepared to prosecute 413 defaulting property owners by the end of August, as the first set, for failing to pay ground rents in the region of N29 billion.
The government insisted that since all entreaties have failed, it has no other option than to commence the prosecution of the first batch of the defaulting property owners.
It would be recalled that the FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr Adesola Olusade, recently inaugurated a debt recovery committee with the mandate to recover the outstanding debts owed the FCT Administration with a particular interest in ground rents and other sundry fees in the Land Administration as well as other Land related departments.
The Coordinating Committee on the Recovery of Outstanding Ground Rent and Other Related Charges in the FCT, is headed by the FCT General Counsel/Secretary Legal Secretariat, Mohammed Babangida Umar.
The Committee earlier announced the engagement of five law firms, owned by Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), hired to prepare legal documents to commence legal action against the defaulting titleholders.
In a statement issued to newsmen in Abuja, over the weekend, by the Director, Information & Communication, FCT / Chairman, Media & Publicity Sub-Committee, Muhammad Hazat Sule, disclosed this development.
The statement reads: “Accordingly, the legal fireworks, have commenced and may lead to the forfeiture of the affected property to the government in line with relevant laws.
“It is disheartening that some of the debtors have failed to pay their outstanding ground rents, in spite of several appeals and warnings, thereby, jeopardizing the government’s effort at providing critical services to the residents.
“The Committee wishes to inform the public that there will be no sacred cows as the law will surely take its course because the only language it will understand is for the debtors to clear their outstanding debt.
“All debtors are advised to clear their outstanding debts or face the full wrath of the law.”
The FCT Administration assured that it will not retreat in pursuing the legal option, because it needs funds to provide infrastructural development.
