Wike Slashes C-of-O Waiting Time to 14 Days as FCT Processes Over 26,000 Titles

The Federal Capital Territory Administration has dramatically reduced the waiting period for landowners to obtain Certificates of Occupancy to just two weeks, marking a significant overhaul of land documentation processes that had previously kept thousands of property owners waiting for years or even decades.

The reform comes as the FCT Administration, under Minister Nyesom Wike, records 26,272 Certificates of Occupancy signed since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023. This figure represents a remarkable increase over the 8,697 C-of-Os produced and signed between 2010 and 2023, with the current administration processing 17,575 more certificates than were signed during the preceding 13-year period under former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari.

Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, explaining that the new process allows land allottees who have completed the required payments to obtain their Certificates of Occupancy within two weeks. “The moment necessary payments are made, land allottees can now get their C-of-O within two weeks,” Olayinka said. He added that the administration had introduced an automated notification system to alert allottees when their documents were ready for collection, further reducing the need for repeated visits to government offices.

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A breakdown of the figures showed that 5,500 Certificates of Occupancy were produced and signed during the five-and-a-half-year administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, while only 3,197 were processed during the eight-year administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. Olayinka attributed the delays under previous administrations to inefficiencies in the system, which discouraged some landowners from completing payments on their land allocations. Many of the beneficiaries of the 26,272 C-of-Os processed under Wike had received their land allocations more than 10 years ago but were yet to obtain the necessary title documents, underscoring the scale of the backlog the current administration inherited.

The development is expected to have a direct impact on property owners and businesses that rely on land titles to access financing. A valid Certificate of Occupancy serves as an important instrument for securing commercial loans, mortgages and capital for business expansion. Without it, landowners sitting on valuable real assets have effectively been locked out of loans, mortgages, and expansion capital they could otherwise access. The FCT Administration said delays in obtaining title documents had historically restricted access to financing and created severe operational bottlenecks for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The FCT Administration also recorded an increase in other property-related approvals under the current administration. In the last three years, it granted 2,521 Consents to Assign and 177 Consents to Mortgage. This compares with 753 Consents to Assign and 180 Consents to Mortgage granted under Jonathan, and 684 Consents to Assign and 164 Consents to Mortgage under Buhari. A Consent to Assign is a legal document required for the transfer of property ownership, while a Consent to Mortgage is the official approval needed before a property can be used as collateral for a loan. The significant rise in Consents to Assign under Wike reflects a more efficient system for property transfers, while the slight decline in Consents to Mortgage may indicate a shift toward direct title issuance as the primary means of unlocking property value.

Behind the numbers, Olayinka said, is a backlog problem the current administration inherited rather than created. The 26,272 certificates signed under Wike had been sitting on land allocations that, in many cases, were over a decade old, meaning property owners who had paid for their allocations years ago could finally formalize their ownership. The FCT is fast becoming a hotspot for land acquisition and development, owing to its widespread road networks within the city centre and parts of the outskirts, and the new documentation reforms are expected to accelerate this trend by making it easier for investors to secure their property rights.

The FCT Administration said the reforms were designed to make land documentation faster and more efficient while unlocking the financial value of property and supporting the Federal Government’s broader ease-of-doing-business agenda under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. By reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks, the administration aims to encourage investment in the FCT, create jobs, and stimulate economic activity through the real estate sector. Property owners and investors seeking to benefit from the new two-week C-of-O processing timeline are advised to ensure all required payments and documentation are completed promptly, while the automated notification system will provide timely updates on document readiness.

Wike Slashes C-of-O Waiting Time to 14 Days as FCT Processes Over 26,000 Titles

Police to prosecute Kogi man for allegedly setting wife ablaze

The Kogi State Police Command has arrested a 33-year-old man, Jacob Irewa, for allegedly setting his wife, Berida Irawo, ablaze following a domestic dispute in Lokoja.

The incident occurred on Friday, August 14, at Oworo Estate, Felele, in Lokoja, according to the police.

The victim reportedly sustained serious burns in the incident and is receiving treatment at Honey Gold Hospital, Felele.

The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Afusat Saliu, said operatives of the B Division Surveillance Team responded to a distress call and moved to the scene, where they arrested the suspect.

Preliminary police investigations indicated that the disagreement between the couple allegedly started after Irawo burnt some of her husband’s clothes without his consent.

The dispute reportedly escalated after Irewa allegedly threatened his wife before obtaining petrol from his motorcycle and setting her on fire.

Saliu said the suspect admitted during questioning to setting his wife ablaze.

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She, however, said investigations were continuing to establish the full circumstances of the incident and gather additional evidence.

The police have not disclosed the extent of the victim’s injuries or how long she is expected to remain in hospital.

The Kogi State Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Kankarofi, condemned the alleged attack, describing it as barbaric and unacceptable.

Kankarofi reaffirmed the command’s zero tolerance for domestic violence and warned that anyone found to have endangered another person’s life would face the full weight of the law.

“The command will not condone any action capable of endangering lives. We encourage citizens to seek peaceful and legal means of settling disagreements,” the commissioner said.

The police said the suspect would be charged with attempted culpable homicide after the conclusion of investigations.

The command also appealed to residents to report cases of domestic abuse and violence to the appropriate authorities before disputes escalate into potentially fatal incidents.

The latest development adds to concerns over domestic violence and the need for early intervention when conflicts within households become threatening.

For now, Irewa remains an accused person, and the allegation against him will be subject to judicial determination if the case proceeds to court.

Police to prosecute Kogi man for allegedly setting wife ablaze

Nigerian military’s X account hacked as attackers push crypto scam

The official X account of Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters (DHQ), @DHQNigeria, has been compromised, with hackers using the platform to promote a cryptocurrency scam to its nearly one million followers.

The account, which had about 982,900 followers, was taken over on Saturday, with unauthorised posts promoting Firelight FXRP rewards and directing users to a cryptocurrency claims portal.

The breach was confirmed by the Defence Headquarters in a statement signed by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba.

Uba said the military was treating the incident as a cybersecurity matter and had activated measures to secure the account and prevent further unauthorised activity.

He urged Nigerians to disregard any “suspicious, unauthorised or misleading content” published through the account while efforts continued to restore full control.

The DHQ also advised members of the public, journalists and other stakeholders to rely on its verified accounts on other social media platforms for official information during the recovery process.

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The compromised account has been an important communication channel for the Nigerian Armed Forces, providing updates on military operations, security developments, official activities and other information from the Defence Headquarters.

Screenshots reviewed after the breach indicated that the last clearly identifiable military-related post on the account was published on August 7, before the cryptocurrency-related content began appearing.

The account, created in May 2013, had built a substantial following over the years and retained its established identity even after the compromise, making the unauthorised posts potentially more convincing to unsuspecting users.

The attackers reportedly used the account to promote Firelight FXRP rewards and encourage users to visit a cryptocurrency claims portal. The Defence Headquarters has not endorsed the scheme and warned the public against relying on the unauthorised posts.

The exact method used to compromise the DHQ X account remains unknown. The military has not disclosed whether the attackers gained access through stolen login credentials, social engineering, a compromised device or another method.

The Defence Headquarters has also not identified the individuals or group responsible for the breach and has not disclosed whether anyone suffered financial losses after interacting with the cryptocurrency content.

The incident highlights the growing security risks faced by verified social media accounts, particularly those belonging to government institutions and other organisations with large audiences.

Cybercriminals have increasingly targeted high-profile accounts because control of an established platform can give fraudulent messages an appearance of legitimacy and expose large numbers of followers to potentially harmful links.

In the case of the Nigerian military’s X account, the security implications extend beyond the cryptocurrency scam because the platform is also used to communicate official information concerning national security and the activities of the Armed Forces.

The DHQ has therefore cautioned the public against treating posts from the compromised account as official until the military confirms that it has regained full control.

Nigerians have also been advised not to click on suspicious links, connect cryptocurrency wallets, transfer funds or submit personal information in response to the unauthorised posts.

The Defence Headquarters said efforts to recover and secure the hacked X account were ongoing and that further information would be provided as the situation develops.

For now, the military’s warning remains clear: any cryptocurrency-related content appearing on @DHQNigeria should be treated as unauthorised until the Defence Headquarters announces that control of the account has been fully restored.

Nigerian military’s X account hacked as attackers push crypto scam