The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has strongly criticised the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for what it called an “embarrassing invasion” of its premises in Abuja over alleged ground rent arrears.
In a statement released on Monday in Abuja, the FIRS expressed outrage after FCTA officials sealed two of its offices at No. 12 and No. 14 Sokode Crescent, Wuse Zone 5. The tax agency described the action as baseless and said the supposed debt had already been cleared.
According to Mr Tyofa Abeghe, Director of Facility Management at the FIRS, the agency received a demand notice from the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) in September 2023, requesting payment for 25 years of ground rent. He explained that the FIRS paid N2,364,003.26 within three months, covering the period from 2000 to 2024.
Abeghe added that no treasury receipt was issued despite the payment, prompting the FIRS to send a follow-up letter on February 19, 2024, requesting official confirmation. Although AGIS acknowledged the letter, it failed to respond.
“We complied with their request, made the payment, and even followed up for a receipt. Instead of resolving the issue administratively, they resorted to sealing our offices,” Abeghe said.
FIRS Special Adviser on Infrastructure, Kunle Ogidi, also criticised the FCTA’s actions, blaming the incident on poor administrative procedures. He said proper checks would have revealed the payment had been made.
“As a responsible agency, FIRS has no outstanding ground rent on any of its properties in the FCT,” Ogidi stated.
Echoing the same sentiment, FIRS Special Adviser on Media, Dare Adekanmbi, questioned the FCTA’s rationale. “Why would we pay rent on five offices and ignore two on the same street? That doesn’t add up,” he said, reiterating that the N2.36 million payment covered all the years in dispute.
FIRS is now demanding a formal apology from the FCTA, calling the action unnecessary and damaging to both inter-agency cooperation and public confidence.
