In a controversial enforcement move, the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has reportedly commenced the sealing and locking of residential buildings belonging to Abuja residents for alleged non-payment of tenement rates and related levies.
The action has sparked outrage among affected homeowners and tenants, some of whom were temporarily denied access to their properties.
Early this morning, enforcement officers from AMAC, accompanied by security personnel, were seen posting notices, padlocking gates, and barring entry into several residential compounds across the council’s jurisdiction. In some instances, residents returning home found that locks had been newly affixed to gates and doors, leaving them unable to enter their homes.
One homeowner, who asked to remain anonymous, said:
“I went out early for errands and returned to find the gate locked. I have no outstanding business with anybody. This is unjust, you can’t lock people out of their own homes over a bill.”
Another tenant lamented:
“We were not given a proper warning or chance to settle. Suddenly, they are here sealing everywhere.”
Legal notices affixed by the council allege that the properties in question owe varying sums in tenement rate arrears and levies, some stretching back multiple years.
In explanation, AMAC’s Tenement Rate Department has defended the moves as necessary to enforce compliance and recover unpaid municipal revenue. The council argues that the timely payment of tenement rates is critical to funding local services, infrastructure, and community development.
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An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the council had repeatedly served notices and demands to ratepayers, but many had ignored or refused to pay. The sealing operations, he said, are part of a graduated enforcement regime. Those who can show proof of payment, or negotiate arrears plans may be allowed back in.
The official added that this is not indiscriminate: “Where a property can demonstrate a valid, current receipt or evidence of settlement, we will not bar access. This is an enforcement of lawful obligations, not arbitrary dispossession”
Tenement rates are statutory levies imposed on owners or occupiers of developed properties by local or area councils, under the constitutional and enabling laws governing local government revenue. In Abuja, such powers are exercised by area councils like AMAC.
However, legal observers warn that sealing off homes and locking occupants out raises serious due process and constitutional questions. Notices and court orders are typically required before property access can be withheld as enforcement. Some contend that executing such drastic steps without proper judicial backing may amount to unlawful self-help by the government.
As reported earlier, AMAC has previously sealed entire estates over cumulative tenement debts, for example, the sealing of the Efab Metropolis Estate in Karsana over more than ₦600 million in unpaid rates. That action drew substantial pushback from residents, some of whom included senior public figures, and led to negotiations and temporary reprieves.
The sealing campaign is occurring amid wider fiscal tightening in Abuja. The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has recently moved to revoke nearly 4,800 land titles for properties with longstanding ground rent default. The FCTA has also authorized stiff fines and penalties such as ₦5 million penalties or 7.5% levies on assessed capital value for conversion or land use violations.
Meanwhile, some major organizations, including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), have publicly challenged sealing actions directed at their premises, insisting they have met their obligations.
With tensions rising, several affected residents have threatened legal action, demanding immediate restoration of access, injunctions against further sealing, and full transparency on the arrears calculations. Lawyers are calling on the council to present audited statements and receipts, and to recognize installment or settlement options rather than resorting to force.
If the government persists with blanket sealing, the move could provoke constitutional suits, claims of violation of property rights, and pressure from civil society for procedural restraints on enforcement.
For now, many Abuja residents remain fearful of being locked out without recourse and seek protection under law from what feels, to them, like a sudden, unilateral takeover of their private homes.
