“Embassy Shutdown Threat Violates International Law” – SERAP Warns Wike

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urgently appealed to President Bola Tinubu to prevent the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, from carrying out threats to shut down 34 foreign embassies in Abuja over alleged unpaid ground rents.

The rights organization, in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), argued that such action would violate international law, specifically Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which protects embassy premises from interference.

The controversy stems from Wike’s announcement targeting 4,794 properties—including diplomatic missions—with outstanding ground rent debts totaling over ₦3.6 billion, some dating back to 2014. While President Tinubu granted a 14-day payment extension on May 26, the grace period expired on June 9, raising fears of imminent enforcement.

“President Tinubu should urgently caution and direct the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to immediately withdraw the threat to close down 34 embassies in Abuja. The purported threat is contrary to the provisions of Article 22 of the Vienna Convention,” SERAP emphasized.

The Vienna Convention explicitly safeguards diplomatic properties, stating in Article 22(1) that “the premises of the mission shall be inviolable,” and in Article 22(3) that host countries cannot seize or enforce actions against embassy assets.

While some Nigerian entities like FIRS, PDP, and NAPTIP have reportedly settled their debts, multiple embassies have disputed their inclusion on the defaulters’ list.

The Russian Embassy presented payment records to refute claims of arrears, while Turkish and German officials cited possible administrative errors, noting they received no formal notices. The FCT’s Land Department has imposed location-based penalties ranging from ₦2 million to ₦3 million for non-payment.