Cross River Govt Commences Verification and Recovery of Statutory Land Charges

Cross River Govt Commences Verification and Recovery of Statutory Land Charges

 

The Cross River State Government has announced the commencement of a comprehensive verification, reconciliation, and recovery exercise on statutory land charges and ground rents across the state.

 

According to a joint statement by the Ministry of Lands and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the exercise will run from Monday, September 1, 2025, to Friday, October 31, 2025.

 

The initiative, the government explained, is aimed at ensuring compliance with statutory land obligations and sanitizing the management of government layouts and estates.

 

Allottees, title holders, occupiers, and beneficiaries of government land are required to appear at the Ministry of Lands, New Secretariat Complex, Calabar, with relevant documents including:

 

Original and current ownership papers

 

Four-side view photographs of the land (developed or undeveloped)

 

Two recent passport photographs of the current holder

 

Evidence of payment of statutory charges and ground rents

 

Proof of personal income tax payment since the date of allocation

 

The Ministry added that additional documents may be requested where necessary.

 

For ease of compliance, landowners have also been provided with the option to upload their documents via the state’s online portal: https://paycrossriverstate.gov.ng/lands_data_update.

 

The government emphasized that the deadline for submission and settlement of outstanding charges remains October 31, 2025. Failure to comply, it warned, could lead to cancellation or outright revocation of land titles.

 

In a statement signed by Chief (Dr.) Francis Ekpenyong, Commissioner for Lands, the government urged all stakeholders to take the exercise seriously and ensure timely compliance.

For further inquiries, residents can contact the Ministry through 07065541630 or 08134112587.