Buying land in Nigeria while living abroad can be difficult because buyers often depend on relatives, agents or developers to provide information. Photographs, allocation letters and video calls may show that a plot exists, but they do not prove that the person selling it owns it.
Before paying any deposit, engage an independent Nigerian property lawyer and registered surveyor who do not work for the seller.
Land ownership verification checklist
1. Confirm the seller’s identity and authority
Obtain the seller’s full legal name, address, valid identification and recent photograph. The name must correspond with the title documents and transaction agreement.
If a company is selling the property, verify its registration and directors through the Corporate Affairs Commission. Ask for a board resolution authorising the sale and confirm that the person signing has authority to represent the company.
If an attorney, agent or relative is acting for the owner, your lawyer must inspect the Power of Attorney and confirm its validity.
2. Establish the root of title
The root of title explains how the seller acquired the land. Relevant documents may include:
- Certificate of Occupancy
- Governor’s Consent
- Registered Deed of Assignment
- Deed of Sublease
- Government allocation letter
- Gazette or excision documentation
- Court judgment
- Probate documents or Letters of Administration
- Previous purchase agreements and receipts
An allocation letter, survey plan or receipt alone does not necessarily establish ownership. Your lawyer should trace the ownership history, not merely inspect the latest document presented by the seller.
3. Conduct an official title search
For property in Lagos, your lawyer should conduct a search at the Lagos State Lands Registry or through the appropriate state land-information service.
The search should confirm the registered owner, the property’s description and location, whether the title document is genuine, existing mortgages or other encumbrances, prior transfers, restrictions affecting the property and whether the seller can legally transfer it.
Do not accept a screenshot or search report supplied only by the seller. The buyer’s lawyer should obtain or independently confirm the result.
4. Chart the survey plan
Engage an independent registered surveyor to inspect the survey plan and chart the property coordinates with the relevant Surveyor-General’s office.
Charting helps determine whether the land falls within a government acquisition, is committed to a public project, overlaps another parcel, falls within a restricted zone or corresponds with the land physically shown to the buyer.
A survey plan describes land. It does not, by itself, prove ownership.
5. Inspect the land physically
Arrange an independent physical inspection. If you cannot travel, request a live, location-enabled video inspection involving your lawyer or surveyor.
The inspection should confirm the coordinates and boundaries, road access, occupation by tenants or other parties, boundary disputes, flooding and drainage conditions, electricity and other infrastructure, and whether the land matches the advertised location.
Do not rely on prerecorded videos. They may show another property.
6. Investigate family and community interests
For family, community or customary land, confirm that the people selling have authority to do so. Your lawyer should identify the recognised representatives and determine whether the required principal family members consented.
Where the registered owner has died, confirm that the people selling hold valid probate authority. Being the deceased owner’s child or relative does not automatically give one person the power to sell the property.
7. Verify the developer separately
When buying from an estate developer, investigate both the land and the company.
- CAC registration and directors
- Ownership or development rights over the land
- Previous completed projects
- Existing complaints or litigation
- Planning and layout approvals
- Infrastructure obligations
- Refund policy
- Delivery dates and penalties
- Whether the property is already mortgaged or pledged
A registered company can still sell land it does not own. CAC verification is only one part of due diligence.
8. Confirm planning and building approvals
For a completed building or property under construction, verify the planning permit, approved building plan and building-control records. Construction should proceed only after the relevant development permit and authorisation have been obtained.
9. Let your own lawyer review the contract
Never use only the seller’s lawyer. Your lawyer should review the sale agreement, deed, payment schedule, property description and refund provisions.
The contract should clearly state the exact property and survey details, total price and payment stages, documents the seller must provide, deadline for possession, infrastructure or construction obligations, consequences of defective title, refund rights and dispute-resolution procedure.
10. Pay through a traceable process
Do not pay cash or transfer money into an agent’s personal account unless your lawyer has verified the authority and documented the arrangement.
The receiving account should correspond with the seller named in the contract. Obtain signed receipts for every payment and include the property description and purpose of the payment.
For large transactions, your lawyer may recommend a controlled or milestone-based payment arrangement.
11. Complete the transfer and registration
Payment is not the end of the transaction. The appropriate deed must be executed, stamped and registered.
Section 22 of Nigeria’s Land Use Act restricts the transfer of a statutory right of occupancy without the Governor’s consent. The precise post-purchase process depends on the existing title and transaction structure, so it should be handled by a qualified property lawyer.
Warning signs that should stop the transaction
- The seller refuses an independent search
- You are pressured to pay immediately
- The advertised location differs from the coordinates
- Document names do not match
- The seller produces only an allocation letter or receipt
- The price is far below comparable properties
- Payment must be made to an unrelated account
- The developer will not provide title or planning documents
- The seller discourages you from using your own lawyer
- Verification is replaced with assurances such as “everyone knows the owner”
The cost of proper verification is small compared with the amount that can be lost through a defective or fraudulent transaction.
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This article is general information, not a substitute for advice from a Nigerian property lawyer and registered surveyor.
Sources: Lagos State Lands Bureau applicant portal; LASBCA Guide; Union Bank v Ayodare & Sons.