Buying Property in Nigeria from the Diaspora: A Step-by-Step 2026 Guide

Step 3: Hire your own lawyer, not the seller's

Your lawyer is your single biggest protection, and it must be your lawyer, instructed and paid by you, not one recommended by the seller or developer. Land law in Nigeria is technical and varies by state, so use a lawyer who practises property law in the state where the land sits. Their core job is a title search conducted directly at the state lands registry, confirming that the title is genuine and registered, that the seller is the registered holder, and that there are no encumbrances such as mortgages, court injunctions, or government acquisition over the land.

Step 4: Run full due diligence

Beyond the registry search, due diligence means matching paper to reality. The survey plan must correspond to the physical plot and to the registry's records. Someone you trust, your lawyer, a surveyor, or an independent inspector, should physically visit the site, because edited videos and drone shots are a common lure used on buyers abroad. Review the Certificate of Occupancy, the Deed of Assignment, and the survey plan as originals, never photocopies or documents described as still processing. If a developer is involved, check whether the company has a record of finishing what it sells. Bektu (https://bektu.com) tracks developer delivery history so you can see a company's track record before you commit, which matters most when you cannot monitor the build yourself.

Step 5: Agree terms in writing

Once the title checks out, agree price, payment schedule, and what is included in writing. For off-plan, the agreement should specify delivery dates, the finish specification, and what happens if the developer is late. Verbal assurances from an agent are worth nothing when a dispute starts.

Step 6: Never wire money straight to a seller

This is where diaspora buyers get burned most often. Do not transfer funds directly to a seller's personal account on the strength of a phone call. Use an escrow arrangement or a regulated payment structure that releases money only as verification milestones are met, ideally through your lawyer's regulated client account. If the other side refuses any structured or escrowed payment and insists on an immediate personal transfer, treat that as a reason to walk away.

Step 7: Sign and then perfect the title

Signing the Deed of Assignment is the contract, not the finish line. The transfer has to be perfected: obtain governor's consent under Section 22 of the Land Use Act, pay stamp duty, which is 2 percent of value in Lagos and 1.5 percent in most other states, and register the instrument at the lands registry. Budget for total closing costs of roughly 8 to 15 percent of the price in Lagos, including these government items. Skipping perfection to save money leaves you unable to prove ownership later, which is the quiet failure that surfaces years after the purchase.

The scams to recognise

Knowing the common patterns is most of the defence.

The omo onile, or land-grabbing families, are the best known. In Lagos especially, individuals claiming ancestral ownership of land demand repeated payments from buyers and developers, and in the worst cases sell the same plot to several people. A double sale leaves multiple buyers all holding paperwork for one piece of land.

Fake or unlicensed developers and agents market estates on land they do not control, collect deposits for off-plan units, and disappear or stall indefinitely. Title fraud uses forged Certificates of Occupancy or survey plans that look convincing until a registry search exposes them. Government acquisition fraud sells land that the state has already designated for public use and that no private seller can lawfully transfer.

Every one of these is caught by the same defences: an independent registry search, a physical inspection, original documents, escrowed payment, and a check on the developer's actual delivery record.

A note for non-citizen foreign buyers

If you are a foreign national rather than a Nigerian passport holder, there is an extra layer. Because the governor controls all land, several states require the governor's approval for an alien to acquire land and cap the term. Under Lagos State's Acquisition of Lands by Aliens Law, the term granted to a foreigner will not exceed 25 years including renewals. Nigerians in the diaspora who keep their citizenship are not treated as aliens and buy on the same terms as residents. If you intend to live in Nigeria, the residence permit framework is the CERPAC system, which moved fully online during 2025 alongside the new e-Visa regime introduced in May 2025.

The bottom line

Verify before you pay, every single time. Confirm the title at the registry through your own lawyer, inspect the land physically, insist on original documents, pay through escrow, and perfect the title with governor's consent and registration. The buyers who follow that order rarely get defrauded. The ones who pay first and verify later are the ones writing warning posts a year later.