Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has warned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, against sealing foreign embassies in Abuja over unpaid ground rents, cautioning that such an action could spark serious diplomatic fallout for Nigeria.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on Monday, Falana said, “Embassies and missions cannot be invaded because they have not paid ground rent, which is not applicable for all of them.”
The warning follows a move by the FCT Administration, which recently named 9,000 individuals and organisations — including 34 embassies and foreign missions — as debtors, with a threat to take over properties linked to long-standing ground rent defaults.
On May 23, 2025, the FCT Administration announced plans to repossess approximately 5,000 properties with outstanding ground rent liabilities spanning between 10 and 43 years.
It began sealing some properties, including the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), prompting President Bola Tinubu to step in and issue a 14-day grace period for defaulters to pay up. That grace period expired on Friday, June 6, which coincided with the Eid holiday.
With Tuesday, June 10, marking the end of the Sallah break, attention is now on the Wike-led FCT Administration’s next move.
However, Falana, citing legal precedents, stressed that the FCT authorities lack the unilateral power to seal any property.
“As far as the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations is concerned, the premises of any embassy in Abuja are inviolable by Article 22 of the convention,” he said.
He warned that sealing diplomatic premises over unpaid rents would breach international law. “If we embark on invading the embassy of any country, it’s going to lead to serious diplomatic problems for Nigeria. So, it is not allowed.”
Falana also explained the constitutional and legal provisions that guarantee due process before any enforcement action can be taken.
“The minister cannot order that a house be sealed up because the right to a fair hearing is guaranteed by Section 36 of the Constitution and Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights Act. What this implies is that before you can take action against me, you must give me the right to make a representation.”
He called on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to step in and guide the FCT Minister on the appropriate legal route.
“I expect the Minister of Foreign Affairs to have intervened. I also expect the Attorney General of the Federation to intervene,” he said.
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While acknowledging the existence of debts, Falana maintained that enforcement must follow legal procedures.
“The rule of law must be allowed to operate. Yes, people are owing. Too bad! But if you want to collect your money, you must go to court.”
He pointed to the Urban and Regional Planning Tribunal in Abuja as the proper channel for resolving such matters.
“There is a tribunal in Abuja — Urban and Regional Planning Tribunal constituted by five members from the building industry. That is the body that has the final say on demolition and attempts to seal up properties. In other words, anybody who is aggrieved by the threat to seal up a property is advised to go to court. We are operating a democracy,” he added.
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