How to verify a land title in Nigeria before you pay a naira

Almost every land dispute in Nigeria traces back to the same moment: money changed hands before anyone confirmed that the seller had the right to sell. The verification is not complicated. It is simply skipped, because it is inconvenient and because the seller is in a hurry.

Start with the survey plan

Ask for the survey plan and check that it has been registered with the office of the Surveyor-General of the state. An unregistered survey tells you what the seller believes they own, not what the state records. Registration also reveals whether the parcel falls within a government acquisition, the single most common way buyers lose everything.

Conduct a search at the land registry

A formal search at the state land registry returns the root of title, the chain of transactions, and any encumbrance registered against the parcel. It takes days, not months, and it costs a fraction of the purchase price. Instruct your own lawyer to do it; do not rely on a search the seller commissioned.

Understand which title you are being offered

A Certificate of Occupancy is the strongest position. Governor's Consent matters when land has changed hands since the C of O was issued, without it, the transfer is incomplete no matter what the seller says. A Deed of Assignment alone is a contract, not a title. Excision and Gazette apply to land released back to a community, and you must confirm the specific village and the specific parcel appear in the published gazette.

Visit the land, and ask the neighbours

Physical inspection catches what paper does not: an occupied plot, a boundary that does not match the survey, a family that disputes the sale. Speak to people living around it. They will tell you things no document will.

Then, and only then, pay

Pay into a company account, against an invoice, with a receipt that identifies the parcel. Never pay cash to an individual for land, however well you know them.

Every property DCI Homes markets has been through this process before it reaches our site, and we will hand your lawyer the file and let them repeat it.