Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has issued a strong caution to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, against any move to seal embassies or foreign missions in Abuja over unpaid ground rents.
Appearing on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on Monday, Falana stressed that such actions would violate both constitutional and international legal provisions protecting diplomatic premises.
“Embassies and missions cannot be invaded because they have not paid ground rent, which is not applicable for all of them,” Falana said.
His warning follows reports that the FCT Administration, under Wike’s leadership, had named 9,000 property owners, including 34 embassies, as defaulters in ground rent payments, threatening to reclaim the lands.
On May 23, 2025, the FCTA disclosed plans to seal around 5,000 properties over outstanding rent obligations spanning 10 to 43 years. Some structures, including the Peoples Democratic Party’s national secretariat, have already been affected. President Bola Tinubu later intervened, granting a 14-day grace period to enable defaulters to pay up. That grace period expired on Friday, June 6 — which coincided with the Eid-el-Kabir public holiday — leaving the FCT’s next course of action uncertain, with enforcement likely to resume by Tuesday, June 10.
Falana noted that Nigerian courts have repeatedly ruled against sealing properties without following due process.
“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 stated.
“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.”
He questioned the legal foundation for the FCT Minister’s directive, describing it as a breach of Nigerian law and international obligations.
“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,” Falana said.
He called on top government functionaries to step in and restrain Wike.
“I expect the Minister of Foreign Affairs to have intervened. I also expect the Attorney General of the Federation to intervene,” he added.
While acknowledging the legitimacy of the FCT’s concerns over rent arrears, Falana insisted that enforcement must be done within the framework of the law.
“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 said.
“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,” Falana concluded.
