How to Verify Land Documents in Nigeria (and Spot a Fake C of O)

In Nigeria, you can't tell whether a land title is genuine just by looking at it. You verify it at the government office that issued it, before you pay a kobo.

In Lagos, an official search at the Lands Bureau in Alausa costs ₦3,750 (tariff schedule). In Abuja, you search through AGIS. It matters: in February 2026, the FCT cancelled 485 land titles that failed these checks (The ICIR). Here's how to check a C of O, and why Governor's Consent matters (Land Use Act, s.22).

No amount of squinting at a watermark or a seal tells you whether a C of O is real. The fraud happens inside the paperwork (a cloned certificate, a parcel that was already allocated to someone else, a seller who isn't the registered owner) and the only way to catch it is to check the record the government holds.

How do I verify a Certificate of Occupancy in Nigeria?

You verify a C of O with an official search at the state Lands Registry that issued it: the Lagos State Lands Bureau for Lagos titles, AGIS for FCT titles, or the Ministry of Lands in any other state. The search confirms whether the C of O number matches a real file, who the registered owner is, and whether there's a mortgage, caution or court order on the land that the seller didn't mention.

Before you get there, collect the documents you'll need:

1. The original title document. A photocopy or scan proves nothing. Insist on seeing (and, once you've paid a deposit linked to verification, holding) the original C of O, deed of assignment or Governor's Consent letter.
2. The survey plan, with its coordinates and survey number. Take this to your state's Surveyor-General's office to check the plot isn't sitting inside a government acquisition area or a right-of-way.
3. The seller's ID and, if a company is involved, its CAC registration. If you're buying through your own registered company, keep your CAC registration documents to hand, because the Lands Registry will ask for them when you lodge the deed.
4. Your own BVN and Tax Identification Number. Lodging a deed or paying stamp duty needs them, so check your BVN and get your TIN before you start, rather than scrambling at the registry counter.

What does a Lagos land registry search cost and what does it show?

A search at the Lagos State Lands Bureau costs ₦3,750, and a certified true copy of the title costs ₦5,625, under the Bureau's published tariff. It tells you the registered holder's name, whether the C of O or deed is on file, and any caveats, cautions or mortgages against the land.

Source: Lagos State Ministry of Lands, Lands Bureau tariff schedule, checked October 2026.

Have the search done by your own lawyer, not the seller's. Lagos property lawyers commonly advise registering a caution on the plot as soon as your offer is accepted, so nobody else can sell or mortgage it while your search is running, then doing the registry search and a Lagos High Court litigation search at the same time. If the C of O is in a dead person's name, you also need Letters of Administration or Probate before anyone can legally transfer it. A title alone isn't enough.

How do I verify land titles in Abuja (FCT)?

In the FCT, you verify a title through AGIS, which holds the official land records for Abuja, the Area Councils and the satellite towns (AGIS, Federal Capital Territory Administration). Its Department of Land Administration will check any C of O or Right of Occupancy you bring in against the AGIS database before you pay for anything.

This isn't a formality. In February 2026, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike approved cancelling 485 land titles (in Bwari, AMAC and Kuje Area Councils) after the Department of Land Administration and AGIS found they failed official checks. Some of the cancelled titles belonged to well-known institutions, not just individual buyers, so don't assume a title is safe because the seller looks established.

If you're outside Lagos and the FCT, Rivers, Ogun, Oyo and the other states each run their own Ministry of Lands or Lands Bureau. The process is the same in principle: an official search of the registry's own record, done by your own lawyer, before you pay anything more than a refundable booking fee.

What is Governor's Consent, and why does a C of O need it?

Governor's Consent is the Governor's written approval for a sale, mortgage or sublease of land held under a statutory right of occupancy, and no transfer is legally valid without it. Section 22(1) of the Land Use Act says it is "not lawful for the holder of a statutory right of occupancy granted by the Governor.. to alienate his right of occupancy or any part thereof by assignment, mortgage, transfer of possession, sublease or otherwise howsoever without the consent of the Governor first had and obtained."

In practice: if you buy land and the seller's own consent was never obtained, or your own consent application never goes through, the law still treats the original holder as the owner. You can live on the land for years and still not have good title.

In Lagos, the consent fee is 1.5% of the property's Fair Market Value, under the Directorate for Land Services tariff. The percentage hasn't changed, but the naira amount has risen sharply. The Lagos State Lands Bureau published a new Fair Market Value framework (the "Blue Book") from 1 May 2026, raising the land values the percentage is worked out on by 300% to 525% in some areas, according to law firm reporting (Aluko & Oyebode, 29 April 2026). Applications filed before 1 May 2026 are still assessed at the old values, so ask your lawyer which rate applies to yours.

What are the red flags of a fake or risky land document?

• You're only shown a photocopy of the C of O, and the seller has excuses for not producing the original.
• The search at the Lands Registry turns up a different owner, a different parcel, or no record at all for the C of O number on the document.
• The price is well below similar plots nearby, with no clear reason (distress sale, family dispute, unresolved boundary issue).
• The seller pushes you to pay a large deposit before the search is back, or refuses to let your own lawyer run it.
• The C of O is in the name of someone who has died, with no Letters of Administration or Probate attached.
• There's an unresolved Omo-onile or family claim on the land. Ask the local Baale or community head directly, because in practice a clean government title doesn't override a live customary dispute.

These aren't just theory. Nigeria's land registries have been cancelling fraudulent titles this year. The 485 FCT titles voided in February 2026 are the clearest recent example, and several belonged to well-known institutions, not just unlucky individual buyers.

What should I do before I pay for land in Nigeria?

Hire your own lawyer, not the seller's, and not a "facilitator" the seller introduces. Have them do the registry search, the litigation search and the survey-plan check, confirm the seller's identity matches the title, and confirm whether Governor's Consent already exists or still needs to be obtained and paid for. Only pay the balance once all of that comes back clean. It usually costs a few thousand naira in registry fees plus a lawyer's fee, which is small next to losing the full price of the land.

Once your title is verified and consent is sorted, the next big cost to plan for is building. See our guide to building a 3-bedroom house in Nigeria for current per-square-metre rates. If the purchase, or rent from the land, affects your tax, check how it fits under Nigeria's new tax laws. For more on managing money in Nigeria, see our Nigeria hub.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a land search cost in Lagos?

A search at the Lagos State Lands Bureau costs ₦3,750, and a certified true copy of the title costs ₦5,625, as of the Bureau's published 2026 tariff. Your lawyer's professional fee for running the search and reviewing the result is separate and varies by firm.

How long does it take to verify a C of O in Lagos or Abuja?

The Lagos State Lands Bureau targets a response of 24 hours to 5 working days for most enquiries, depending on complexity. In practice, a full search plus a litigation search often takes one to two weeks once your lawyer has lodged it, and longer if the file needs retrieval from an older archive.

Can a Certificate of Occupancy be fake even if it looks official?

Yes. Nigerian land authorities have cancelled hundreds of fraudulent titles in the past year, including 485 in the FCT in February 2026, because a document that looks genuine on paper didn't match the government's own land records. The only reliable check is a registry search, not the appearance of the document.

Do I still need Governor's Consent if the seller already has a C of O?

Yes. A C of O doesn't transfer automatically. Every sale, mortgage or sublease of land held under a statutory right of occupancy needs its own Governor's Consent under Section 22 of the Land Use Act, even if the original C of O is genuine.

What happens if I buy land without verifying the title first?

You risk paying for land the seller doesn't legally own, land that's already mortgaged or under a court order, or a title that's cancelled later for failing an official check. In that case, the government has the final say over the land, and getting your money back from the seller can take years, if it happens at all.

Is a land search different from a Governor's Consent application?

Yes. A search only confirms what's on record: the owner, the status and any charges on the land. Governor's Consent is a separate legal step that must be obtained before a sale, mortgage or sublease of a statutory right of occupancy is valid, and it has its own fee, based on the land's Fair Market Value.