The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has said property owners in the territory are owing a total N29,506,643,943.98 as ground rents.

A ground rent is a tax charged and collected by a government on a lands, developed or undeveloped.

The administration added that highbrow areas of Asokoro, Industrial Area II and Maitama Districts are the highest debtors owing 10.67%, 9.43% and 9.29% respectively out of the total sum owed.

The FCT Director, Information and Communication, Muhammad Sule, in a statement, on Thursday, said the Coordinating Committee on the Recovery of Outstanding Rents was concluding plans to take all defaulters to court for revocation or outright forfeiture.

The statement partly read, “As the work of the Coordinating Committee on the Recovery of Outstanding Ground Rents of N29,506,643,943.98 owed the FCT Administration gathers momentum, revelation emerged that property owners in the highbrow areas of Asokoro, Industrial Area II and Maitama Districts are the highest debtors owing 10.67%, 9.43% and 9.29% out of the total sum owed.“The committee is already fine-tuning legal documentations to take all property owners who have failed to pay, despite repeated warnings to court for prosecution, revocation, or outright forfeiture.

Sule also said property owners in other districts such as Central Business District, Industrial Area I and Extension, as well as Wuse I and II owe the administration to the tune of 8.21%, 5.18%, 5.1%, and 4.81% respectively.

“Titleholders in Garki I and II, Katampe and Jabi Districts are in default of 3.4%, 3%, 2.21%, and 2.15% respectively.

“Property owners in other districts like Kukwaba, Gwarinpa I, Gudu, Kado, Karmo, Katampe Extension, Utako, Mabushi, Durumi, Daki-Biyu, Guzape, Jahi, Dutse Wuye and Institutions and Research owe various degrees of percentages,” he added.