How to Verify Land Titles in Lagos: C of O, Excision and Gazette Explained

The most expensive mistake in Lagos real estate is not overpaying — it is paying for land the seller had no right to sell. Disputed titles, land under government acquisition, and "family land" sold to multiple buyers account for a large share of the horror stories investors trade at dinner tables. The good news: nearly every one of those losses was preventable with checks that cost a tiny fraction of the purchase price. Here is how title verification in Lagos actually works.

What Do C of O, Excision, and Gazette Actually Mean?

Certificate of Occupancy (C of O). Under the Land Use Act, all land is held by the state governor. A C of O is the government formally granting a right of occupancy — typically for 99 years — to a named holder. It is the strongest single title document a Lagos property can have, but note: a C of O belongs to a person on a parcel. If you buy from that person, you then need Governor's Consent to legally transfer the interest to your name.

Excision. Much of peri-urban Lagos is customary land that the state has, by default, acquired. An excision is the government formally releasing ("excising") a portion of that land back to the indigenous community — meaning the community can legitimately sell it. No excision, no legitimate sale, no matter how many receipts the family issues.

Gazette. The gazette is the official government publication in which an approved excision is recorded, with survey coordinates of the released area. A seller claiming "excision in progress" is asking you to bet your money on a government decision that may never come — and marketers rarely volunteer that distinction.

Which Checks Should You Run Before Paying?

Run all five. Skipping any one of them is where buyers get burnt:

• Charting at the Surveyor-General's office — a licensed surveyor takes the survey plan coordinates and confirms whether the land falls inside government acquisition or a committed area. This is the single most important check for outskirt land.
• Search at the Lagos State Land Registry, Alausa — confirms the registered owner, the title documents on file, and any encumbrances (mortgages, court disputes, pending transactions).
• Verify the gazette itself — for excised land, ask for the gazette number and page, and have your lawyer confirm your specific plot's coordinates fall inside the gazetted area.
• Probate and family authority checks — for family land, confirm the sellers are the accredited family heads and that a court judgment or ratified family arrangement backs their authority to sell.
• Physical inspection with a surveyor — beacons on the ground must match the survey plan. Plots have been sold on paper that sit in a lagoon, a canal setback, or under high-tension lines.

"In Lagos real estate, the documents you insist on seeing before you pay are worth more than any discount you negotiate."

How Much Does Proper Verification Cost — and Is It Worth It?

Expect professional verification — registry search, charting, and legal review — to cost between ₦150,000 and ₦500,000 depending on the property and location. Against plots that routinely sell for ₦5 million to ₦50 million and up, that is 1–3% of the deal to eliminate the risks that cause total loss. There is no version of Lagos property investment where skipping verification is the rational choice.

The verification process is also where negotiating power lives: documented defects, unpaid ground rent, or an incomplete consent process are all legitimate grounds to renegotiate price or walk away. Buyers who verify do not just lose less — they buy better.