Like a scene in one of these dumb Nollywood movies which we never really expect it to happen in real life, I came across one of the most elaborate hoaxes to defraud a client. Mr Babatunde through his agents was able to locate a property he was desirous of purchasing at Alapere Ketu Lagos.     After inspecting the property the agent now told him that it was a safe property to buy because it had a C of O. Mr Babatunde then decided to contact me to conduct a background check on the property and C of O. My…

Property buyers especially in Lekki, Elegushi, Agungi, Ajah, the Eti-Osa Environs and parts of Ibeju Lekki should be very wary before buying a property that has a Governor’s Consent because most of these Governor’s Consents have been questionably acquired at the land registry.     This is because falsified and forged survey plans have been presented by the Owners to the land registry to register. Due to the lax and porous process of obtaining a Governor’s consent at the land registry, dubious owners have perfected the art of presenting forged survey plans that are outside the original location of the…

Let me just drop this List here for you to ponder for 1 minute.   Nigerians are their own worst enemy. How can someone struggle to find a good property to buy without wahala, spend so much money to acquire the land from Agency fees to Survey plan fees and when its time to take possession of the land, the community now presents this Stupid ” OMO-ONILE FEES” to you? If you choose not to pay it, they would prevent you from working even if you bought the land for N100 Million.   To put Foundation on the land N200,000…

Buying a Land that is committed is a one-way ticket to getting your property revoked without compensation and if you foolishly construct a structure on it, it would be happily demolished by the Lagos State Government with no remorse.     There are so many wicked Sellers, Agents, Developers, Lawyers and Surveyors who knowingly take advantage of the ignorance of buyers to sell their lands that they know outrightly belongs to the government but due to their innate greed, still, go ahead to market the land for sale. They have no empathy or compassion for the victim and only see…

What is joint ownership of land?   Joint ownership of land simply means when 2 or more people own a piece of land or lands jointly. Any right, benefit, claim or over that piece or parcel of land belongs to the owners jointly and not on an individual basis.   Example of jointly owning a land includes a land that belongs to a husband and wife (not or wife), Father and daughter, Mother and Son, Sister and Brother, Business partner 1 and Business partner 2, Lands owned by a cooperative society, land owned by a company etc.   This means…

A community leader in Oguntedo Village, Satellite Town, Lagos State, Yussuf Olarinde, has accused a businessman, Elias Ukachukwu, of threatening to kill him over some plots of land.     Speaking to our correspondent on Friday, Olarinde said despite a court ruling on the land in favour of his family, Ukachukwu had been using his closeness to some top security officials to harass and intimidate him and members of his family in a bid to take over the land.     He said the businessman had boasted openly that he would kill him or send him to jail where he…

Arising Land Scam Questions My mail box is filled with thousands of mails regarding Land related issues Omonile Lawyer readers are facing and i would attempt to answer most of them. Majority of these questions consists of  land purchases gone bad , lands bought without  due diligence, people asking me to recommend good lands for them to buy.   Lands that are devoid of wahala or just simply steps to take before they purchase a new land so that they won’t fall victim of Land scam artists. Some cases are serious, some pitiful, some down right hilarious and some frightening….

The truth about land scams   The rate of land scams in Lagos, Ogun, Port Harcourt and Abuja is getting extremely alarming and buyers these days are so weary of falling victim to Evil people parading as Land owners but in reality the land they claim to own and intend to sell belongs to somebody else.   Property buyers are so confused as to the type of property they intend to purchase because the system is so rotten coupled with the problems that accompany living in a rented apartment . Buyers have become extremely desperate to own lands not minding…

For a while now, i have waged a relentless war against fraudulent land sellers called Omoniles especially in those in Lagos and have tried to expose all their deceitful practices to dupe people off their hard earned money.   But today I’m going to change course to raise awareness on another way people are being duped concerning landed issues and this particular  kind of Land Scam is dedicated to our Brothers and Sisters Abroad slaving themselves to send money back home to their family members to help them purchase a land or build houses on their behalf only to finally come…

The Answer to the above question can be deduced from this True Story and please read carefully so that you learn from this issue:   Short Story…   A friend of mine from my University days decided to buy a land at Aboru around the Iyana paja side of Lagos and they were selling the land to him for around N1.8Million or so. Now he had N1 Million in cash and was so desperate to get a land.   So he contacted an agent who introduced him to the Seller and the Baale of that area. They told him that…

QUESTION   I AM INTERESTED IN BUYING IN A LAND NOW IN LAGOS, WHAT STEPS SHOULD BE TAKEN TO PROTECT MYSELF FROM FALLING VICTIM TO LAND FRAUDSTERS AND GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS?     ANSWER   Follow these simple steps judiciously:   1a. Visit the land personally after you have signified interest to buy the land from the Agent. Never buy a land without viewing it yourself or through your trusted representatives. It’s your land so you must know what you want to buy.   1b. If your abroad make sure it’s someone you trust that has no vested interest in that…

“The Above Picture is an Omonile lying through his teeth trying to deceive us that he is the Baale of that Eleko Community and all the lands there were under his care. He showed us a forged Baale i.d card,Community receipts, royal stamps and a Copy of the Eleko Village  Survey Plan  and Gazette.   He even took us to a small palace and convinced us to pay to him. Upon strenuous investigation, we found out that he was a Vulcanizer and not even from that community! Abeg Shine your eyes ooo”     How many of you that have…

I get a lot of emails from prospective buyers asking me how to avoid buying defective lands from Omoniles in Lagos and Ogun States that they are about to pay for and steps to take to avoid being victims of these Land Swindlers.   Unfortunately, there is no clear cut textbook template on how to prevent land fraudsters from duping you because each land transaction has its own peculiar issue that must be studied dutifully with rapt attention to avoid being scammed.   So pay attention to these 8 quick hidden signs that a prospective buyer must pay special interest…

Okun Ajah used to be one of my favourite areas in Lagos for Investors to buy lands because of its whispering palms and beautiful beach view.   It is surrounded by some upcoming estates, Abraham Adesanya estate and Lekki Scheme 2 as its illustrious neighbours but it has of late become a hot bed of loads of land scams of unbelievable proportions. The Omoniles there are shamelessly re-selling people’s lands without any fear or remorse.   If they see that you own a land there and you haven’t developed it within 1 month or more, they would immediately auction your…

So many Academicians, Lawyers and Intellectuals have tried to define what a Governor’s Consent is and they end up confusing simple minded men like me with their Big Big Grammar, so am going to attempt to do the impossible by breaking its meaning down and how it operates under the law.   A simple formula to follow is this. The first person on a Virgin Land that has neither been occupied by another person nor under acquisition by the Government is entitled to get a Certificate of Occupancy on that land.   If that person with the C of O…