Land documents in nigeria. See the Important documents while buying land in Nigeria .
These are important documents while buying land in nigeria
1. Land Purchase Receipt: We all go out and buy different stuffs at the store and demand for receipts. It is not too different with the purchase of land properties. Immediately you have verified the authenticity of the land and other property documents listed below, you must demand for the receipt of payment. These days, never do a transaction with cash. It becomes near impossible to trace again once you pay off. The best means of payments are through cheques addressed to the company or through online transfers. This way you are rest assured that your payment and the beneficiary can be easily tracked in case there are issues in the nearest future. Again I cannot over emphasize the point NEVER DO CASH TRANSACTIONS!!
In case you are buying from a family, then you need to ensure you go directly to the family lawyer who will issue you a receipt (family receipt), a verified excision document with accompanying gazette where government published the land as being excised to the family. A registered survey and a layout plan will be the other documents to request for if available.
2.  An approved survey plan: Every land must be surveyed by a certified surveyor and a survey plan submitted to the government for approval. Upon approval of the document, there is a survey number that accompanies the survey plan which is the survey plan number. It is a unique number and can be verified. If your land is a larger parcel of land being sold, you will need to demand for the layout plan of the estate too in order to see and know how your parcel is located within the larger estate. At times you may also want to know the development plan of the estate as to the classification of building within the estate. Some estate will not permit the mixing of different building patterns. So it is always good to ask about the plan vis-a-vis your intended plan and usage for your plot.
3. Excision document: This type of document is important especially when a certificate of occupancy is not available and you need to be sure the land is not a government acquisition or on governments plan for future use. Excision properly gazetted is a document and verified from the ministry of lands will make for a good land document.
When you buy a land from a family with the excision, you will be given a form 1c which will be submitted to government to show that the land has been sold to you by the family.
4. Deed of assignment: This is a signed agreement between you and the seller of the land signed and stamped by a notary public that a particular plot or plots of land has been given to you. The document will be signed by the property seller, the property buyer and a notary public. Also a deed of assignment must contain a certified layout plan and the survey plan for your plot. It must also state the plot allotted to you and the coordinates of the plots main boundaries. Other key information to be included are; size of the plot, cost of the plot, seal of the company, witnesses’ signature and properly initialed pages.
5. Certificate of Occupancy: This is the certificate issued by the government to the first occupier of a land. When a land has certificate of occupancy, it is a good land to purchase but you will do well to verify the authenticity of such document from the government. When a document has been sold by an original owner to another party, the land should have what is termed a governor’s consent. The transfer of a purchased land to another party from the original owner is incomplete without the Governor’s consent obtained. In fact it is the only authorizing document notifying you of Government’s approval of the transfer of such land property. When buying land in Lagos, it is to your advantage that you process a Governor’s consent to protect your investment especially from omoonile or being taking over by another person. Your Governor’s consent must also be registered with the bureau of lands who will attach a number to the document for ease of tracking. I know the process can be a bit daunting, but you will do well to go through and shield your property from intrusion.
