How to Verify Land Before Buying in Nigeria (2025 Guide)

Buying land in Nigeria without verification is like flying blind — you might land safely… or crash hard.

Every week, Nigerians lose millions to fake agents, double sales, and forged titles. But the good news? You can verify land before you pay — and this 2025 guide shows you exactly how.

---

🧭 Table of Contents

1. Why Land Verification Matters

2. Common Land Scams in Nigeria

3. Step-by-Step: How to Verify Land

4. Documents to Always Request

5. Real-Life Examples

6. Tools & Contacts for Land Checks

7. My Take: Never Buy Without This Checklist

---

1. Why Land Verification Matters

In 2024 alone, Nigerians lost over ₦1.4 billion to land fraud (source: EFCC reports).

That’s because most buyers skip one simple step: title verification.

🧠 My take?
No matter how sweet the deal sounds, verify or walk away.

---

2. Common Land Scams in Nigeria

Here are the top 5 red flags I’ve seen in 2024–2025:

• ❌ Selling land they don’t own

• ❌ Reselling already-sold plots

• ❌ Fake survey plans and receipts

• ❌ Land in government-acquired zones

• ❌ Unapproved estate layouts

---

3. ✅ Step-by-Step: How to Verify Land in Nigeria

Step 1: Get the Right Documents

Ask the seller or agent for:

• Survey Plan

• Deed of Assignment

• Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) or Gazette

• Allocation Letter (for government schemes)

Step 2: Visit the Site

Use Google Maps to confirm location matches the survey.
Visit with the seller and ask locals who owns the land.

Step 3: Conduct a Land Search

Go to your state’s Land Registry or Geographic Information Service (e.g. AGIS for Abuja, LASG for Lagos).

💸 Cost: ₦10K–₦50K
🕒 Timeline: 3–7 working days

---

4. 📄 Documents to Always Request

🧠 Tip: If it’s an estate, ask for the approved layout from the Ministry of Physical Planning.

---

5. 🧾 Real-Life Examples

Example 1: Avoided a scam in Sangotedo
Kemi asked for CofO — seller had none. Turns out the land was under government acquisition. She walked away.

Example 2: Got scammed in Port Harcourt
John skipped verification, bought land in a flood zone. Title didn’t exist. Lost ₦3.5M.

---

6. 📞 Tools & Contacts

---

7. 📌 My Take: Never Buy Without This Checklist

✅ Does it have a verified survey?
✅ Did you check at the registry?
✅ Did you visit the land physically?
✅ Did you use a lawyer?
✅ Is there a CofO or gazette?

🎯 If you answer “NO” to any of the above — pause the deal.

---

Internal Links

• Top Mistakes Nigerians Make When Buying Land

• Buying Land in Nigeria in 2025: My Honest Take

• Land Law 101: Understand Your Rights

---

External DoFollow Links

• LASRERA Lagos

• AGIS Abuja

• 

  Nigeria Property Centre