A group of investors under the aegis of Abuja Technology Village Free Trade Zone has filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, challenging the legality of the decision by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike, over the purported revocation of land earmarked for the operations and development of the Technology Village within the Abuja Free Trade Zone.
The group, comprising foreign and indigenous investors, in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1539/2025, is seeking the court’s intervention to quash the purported revocation of an area of land designated by Presidential Order, also gazetted as a Free Trade Zone, allegedly set aside by Mr. Wike in conjunction with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
The investors also raised an alarm to the Presidency through the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) that the action of the FCT Minister is jeopardizing both direct foreign and domestic investments worth over USD639 million (₦978 billion Naira equivalents) already committed to the zone.
The group further argued that the Abuja Free Trade Zone, housing the Technology Village, is not merely a parcel of land but a national economic asset and visible symbol of Nigeria’s commitment to becoming an innovation-driven, investment-friendly economy.
They argued that the preservation of the Free Trade Zone legal status is essential to the sustainability of the Free Zone Scheme nationwide, noting that the Abuja Technology Village Free Trade Zone hosts 29 licensed enterprises and also serves as the site for a major electric vehicle and renewable energy manufacturing initiative in partnership with three other countries.
They contended that the revocation threatens a multi-stakeholder, multi-billion-naira project and undermines Mr. President’s direct efforts to woo foreign investors under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
In the suit, the plaintiffs, comprising Nigerian and foreign-owned enterprises, claimed they were lawfully registered by NEPZA, the Federal Government agency exclusively empowered by the NEPZA Act to license, regulate, and manage Free Zones in Nigeria.
They also claimed that each of them holds a valid sublease/development agreement with the Abuja Technology Village Free Zone Company (1st Defendant) and has made substantial capital investments toward developing high-impact technology, logistics, and manufacturing infrastructure within the Free Zone.
The revocation, communicated via a letter dated 13th May 2025, was issued on grounds of alleged non-payment of ground rent and underdevelopment.
But the plaintiffs insisted that the revocation emanated without any prior notice, warning, and/or demand for compliance, adding that the grounds for revocation contravene Section 8 of the NEPZA Act, which explicitly exempts the plaintiffs and the Abuja Technology Village Free Zone Company from such levies, taxes, and rates.
