Nigerian real estate builds wealth, but it also attracts some of the most determined fraudsters anywhere. Omo Onile families, forged Certificates of Occupancy, double sales and "ghost" agents cost buyers hundreds of millions of naira every year, and the victims are often diaspora Nigerians who cannot inspect the land in person. The good news is that almost every scam follows a familiar script, and a disciplined buyer can shut it down. This guide shows you how to recognise a real estate scam in Nigeria, vet everyone you deal with, pay safely, and know exactly what to do if something goes wrong, so you can buy property safely in Nigeria.
Key takeaways
- Almost all property fraud in Nigeria repeats a few patterns: forged titles, double sales, land under government acquisition, and fake agents or landlords.
- Verify the property and the people separately: confirm the title at the Land Registry, and confirm the agent, developer and seller through REDAN, ESVARBON and the CAC.
- Never pay in cash or before due diligence. Use traceable transfers, a written contract, and ideally a lawyer's escrow account.
- Prevention beats recovery, but you do have recourse: the EFCC, the Police Special Fraud Unit and, in Lagos, the Special Task Force on Land Grabbers.
- Engage your own independent lawyer and surveyor, never rely only on the ones the seller provides.
How common is property fraud in Nigeria?
Property fraud is widespread enough that regulators now track it. The Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA) reported in May 2024 that it had received 1,702 real-estate-fraud complaints since 2020, mediated most of them and recovered about 478 million naira and 18 properties for victims. Lagos also runs a dedicated anti-land-grabbing task force, and the EFCC regularly arraigns individuals for selling land they do not own.
The pattern behind the numbers is consistent: most losses trace back to title and identity problems, people selling land they have no right to sell, or documents that look official but are forged. That is why buying property in Nigeria without getting scammed is far less about luck than about method. Get the verification and payment discipline right, and the common scams simply cannot land.
The most common real estate scams in Nigeria
Learn the playbook and you will spot the trap early. These are the schemes that catch buyers most often.
| Scam |
How it works |
How to protect yourself |
| Omo Onile extortion |
Indigenous families claiming ancestral ownership demand endless "development", "foundation" and "roofing" fees after you buy, and sometimes resell the same land. |
Buy only land with a clear registered title or a valid excision and gazette, and complete the purchase through documented agreements, not informal cash settlements. |
| Double or multiple sale |
The same plot is sold to several buyers using duplicate agreements and fake receipts. The buyer who registers title first is the one the law recognises. |
Run a Land Registry search before paying, then register your Deed of Assignment and pursue Governor's Consent promptly. |
| Forged or "cloned" documents |
A Certificate of Occupancy, Governor's Consent, survey plan or deed with correct-looking stamps and signatures is wholly fake, or genuine but for a different plot. |
Verify every document against the government registry and chart the survey plan. A physical copy is never proof. |
| Land under government acquisition |
"Committed" acquired land, common around Lekki and Ibeju-Lekki, is sold cheaply. The buyer can never get valid title and receives no compensation when government takes over. |
Have a surveyor chart the coordinates at the Surveyor-General's office to confirm the land is free. |
| Fake agents and impersonators |
Unlicensed "agents", ghost developers and impersonators collect deposits for property they neither own nor represent, then vanish. |
Confirm the agent, developer or valuer is registered (REDAN, ESVARBON) and the company exists at the CAC before paying anything. |
| "Air land" and fake surveys |
Non-existent or off-limits plots are sold with fake survey plans, or coordinates borrowed from a genuinely titled property nearby so a quick check appears to confirm the land. |
Visit the site with your own surveyor and confirm the survey plan is filed at the Surveyor-General. |
| Diaspora and shortlet scams |
Remote buyers are sold forged titles or non-existent homes they cannot inspect; fake landlords collect rent or booking money for homes they cannot let, spiking around December. |
Appoint an independent lawyer and surveyor on the ground, and never send money on the strength of photos alone. |
| Advance-fee "inspection" scams |
Unethical agents charge repeated inspection or agreement fees, sometimes collecting the same fee several times before showing any suitable property. |
Agree fees in writing up front, deal with registered agents, and treat repeated upfront demands as a red flag. |
Vet the people, not just the property
A legitimate agent, developer or valuer can be checked against a public register. Verify before you trust.
Half of property fraud prevention in Nigeria is confirming that the person selling to you is who they claim to be and has the right to sell. Before money moves, run these checks:
-
Estate or development company: search the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) public portal to confirm the company is incorporated, see its directors, and reveal any registered charges. A seller with no traceable registration is a warning sign.
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Developer: confirm membership of REDAN, the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria, and inspect their previously completed projects, especially before any off-plan purchase.
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Estate surveyor or valuer: they must be registered with ESVARBON, the statutory regulator, to practise legally; NIESV is the related professional institution.
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The seller: independently confirm they are the true, legal owner with capacity to sell, and cross-check their identity against the registered owner to defeat impersonation.
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Your own advisers: engage your own independent conveyancing lawyer and surveyor. Do not rely on the seller's or agent's lawyer, who cannot properly protect both sides where interests conflict.
-
Family or communal land: deal with the family head and principal members together. A sale by one branch alone can be void.
Verify the title before you pay a naira
Every safe property purchase in Nigeria rests on confirming the title before money changes hands. In short, that means an official search at the State Land Registry to confirm the registered owner and reveal encumbrances, and charting the survey plan at the Surveyor-General's office to confirm the land is free of government acquisition. Insist on seeing original documents, never photocopies or soft copies alone.
Because a seller who tells you Governor's Consent is "not necessary" is raising a red flag, treat the full verification process as non-negotiable. For the complete step-by-step method, including the documents to demand and how the Land Use Act works, read our detailed guide to property title verification in Nigeria .
Pay safely: the money rules
Traceable payments and a signed contract turn a handshake into an enforceable transaction.
How you pay is as important as what you buy. Scammers rely on speed and cash, so slow the money down and put it on the record.
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Never pay before due diligence and a signed written agreement. Verbal deals offer no protection, and a contract for land generally must be in writing to be enforceable.
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Use traceable bank transfers, never cash, and never pay into a random personal account. A verifiable trail is your evidence if a dispute arises.
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Hold funds in escrow through a lawyer's client account or a neutral stakeholder, releasing money only once the title is verified.
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Stage the payments against milestones rather than paying everything upfront, especially for off-plan or under-construction property.
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Get a proper Contract of Sale first, then complete with a Deed of Assignment that is consented to, stamped and registered.
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Document every payment and keep the full paper trail. Undeclared cash "discounts" destroy the protection a paper trail gives you.
Red flags that should stop the deal
Any one of these is a reason to pause and dig much deeper, or walk away:
- A price far below the market. Nigerian real estate is an appreciating asset, and genuine sellers rarely dump it cheaply.
- Pressure to pay quickly, in cash, or before you can complete a search and survey. "Discount for quick cash" is a leading scam tactic.
- A seller offering to sell "by power of attorney" instead of a Deed of Assignment, or relying on a bare receipt as proof of ownership.
- Missing Governor's Consent in the title chain, or a seller who claims it is unnecessary.
- Only photocopies or soft copies of documents, with excuses for why you cannot see the originals.
- An agent, developer or "owner" you cannot verify through the CAC, REDAN or ESVARBON.
- Repeated upfront "inspection" or "agreement" fees before any suitable property is shown.
- Reluctance to let your own lawyer and surveyor inspect the land, the survey plan or the registry.
What to do if you have been scammed
Act fast and preserve everything. Gather your bank transfer records, receipts, agreements, the purported title documents, survey plans and all communications and identity details of the seller or agent, then pursue the right channel:
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EFCC: report fraud that amounts to obtaining by false pretence (the "419" offence under the Advance Fee Fraud Act) by a written, dated and signed petition to the Executive Chairman, via the online petition portal, email or hotline. Reporting is free.
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Nigeria Police: property fraud is handled by the Force Criminal Investigation Department, with the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) in Ikoyi, Lagos handling serious and complex cases.
-
Lagos land grabbing: victims of forceful seizure or fraudulent sale can petition the Lagos State Special Task Force on Land Grabbers, which enforces the Lagos State Properties Protection Law 2016.
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Civil remedies: sue in the State High Court where the land is located for recovery of possession, specific performance, damages, a declaration of title or injunctions, and register a lis pendens so the land cannot be quietly sold on during the case.
Recovery is possible but slow and uncertain, which is exactly why prevention, thorough due diligence and a perfected, registered title, is worth every naira it costs.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a property agent in Nigeria is legitimate?
Confirm the person or company against a public register before you pay anything. Developers should be members of REDAN, estate surveyors and valuers must be registered with ESVARBON, and any estate company should appear on the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) portal as a properly incorporated entity. An agent who cannot be verified, or who resists your own lawyer and surveyor, is a red flag.
What is the single best way to avoid property fraud in Nigeria?
Verify the title and the seller before money moves, and pay through traceable, documented channels. A Land Registry search, a charted survey plan, original documents, an independent lawyer and payment via escrow or bank transfer defeat almost every common scam. Perfecting and registering your own title then stops the seller reselling the same land.
Is it safe to buy property in Nigeria from the diaspora?
Yes, but only with people on the ground you have independently vetted. Diaspora buyers are the most targeted group precisely because they cannot inspect the land or the registry themselves. Appoint your own independent lawyer and surveyor, insist on registry verification and site inspection, and never transfer money on the strength of photographs or a relative's word alone.
Should I ever pay a property deposit in cash?
No. Pay by traceable bank transfer into a verified account, ideally through a lawyer's escrow account, and only after due diligence and a signed contract. Cash leaves no record, cannot prove what you paid, and is a favourite tool of fraudsters offering a "discount for quick cash".
Who do I report property fraud to in Nigeria?
For fraud involving false pretences, report to the EFCC by written petition through its official portal, email or hotline. You can also report to the Nigeria Police, whose Special Fraud Unit handles complex cases, and in Lagos to the Special Task Force on Land Grabbers. Pursue civil recovery in the State High Court in parallel.
What does "Governor's Consent is not necessary" really mean when a seller says it?
It is a warning sign. Under Section 22 of the Land Use Act, transferring a statutory right of occupancy requires the Governor's Consent, and a completed transfer without it passes no legal title. A seller who downplays consent is either uninformed or hiding a defective title, so treat the claim as a reason to slow down and verify.
