Property & Real Estate
In Nigerian property practice, what you verify before signing is worth more than anything you can litigate after. We are thorough where it counts: before your money moves.
The problem clients bring us
Property in Nigeria rewards patience and punishes haste. Competing claims to the same land, imperfect or unregistered titles, family and community property sold without full consent, government acquisition history that surfaces years later, the catalogue of avoidable losses is long, and nearly all of it traces back to due diligence that was skipped or rushed.
Clients come to us before they buy, lease or build, because the cost of investigation is trivial next to the cost of a defective root of title.
Our approach
- Investigation before commitment. Registry searches, root-of-title analysis, verification of the vendor’s capacity to sell, and physical inspection of the land, reported in writing before you commit funds.
- Documents drafted for the registry, not just the parties. Deeds of assignment, leases and powers of attorney prepared with perfection in mind: governor’s consent, stamping and registration planned from the start.
- Perfection actually completed. Perfection of title is where many transactions quietly stall; we treat it as part of the retainer, not an afterthought.
- Leases with working machinery. Rent review, repair, renewal and recovery provisions drafted to be exercised, not admired.
What to expect
- A written due diligence report with a clear recommendation: proceed, renegotiate, or walk away.
- Fee clarity, search, drafting and perfection stages quoted separately in advance.
- Progress reporting through perfection, which can outlast the transaction itself.
- Plain answers about timing, including honest ones.
Frequently asked questions
What does due diligence on Nigerian land actually involve?
At minimum: a search at the relevant lands registry, tracing the root of title, confirming the vendor’s capacity and consent requirements (especially for family or community land), checking for government acquisition, and physically inspecting the property. Each step exists because someone lost money skipping it.
What is “perfection of title” and why does it matter?
Obtaining governor’s consent, stamping, and registration of your instrument. Until perfection, your interest is vulnerable in ways most purchasers do not appreciate. We treat it as the completion of the purchase, not paperwork after it.
Can you act if I am buying from abroad?
Yes. We regularly act for diaspora purchasers, verification, negotiation, execution by power of attorney and perfection can all be handled without your physical presence, with documentary reporting at each stage.
Tell us what you are facing.
Write briefly and plainly, and we will do the same. Every enquiry receives a considered reply within one business day.