THE DANGERS OF NOT CONDUCTING A LEGAL SEARCH BEFORE PAYING FOR LAND OR BUILDING IN NIGERIA

THE DANGERS OF NOT CONDUCTING A LEGAL SEARCH BEFORE PAYING FOR LAND OR BUILDING IN NIGERIA

Something heartbreaking happened last week to a man who bought land near Port Harcourt.

He bought a land through his office colleague four years ago. He said it was his colleague that took him to the seller.

The colleague signed the Deed of Conveyance (land purchase document) as his witness and assured him that he knew the seller’s family very well and that his own house (colleague) was directly  opposite the land.

So he paid for the land, not knowing that the land had already been sold by the first son of the family, to some other person.

The last son that later sold this land is nowhere to be found. The colleague is denying knowing that the land had been sold before.

He was asking if he can hold his colleague responsible for breach of trust, criminal conspiracy and fraud.

This is a situation you should pray not to be involved in. But prayer alone won’t help. It has to be backed with action – positive steps.

Those positive steps are what we Property Lawyers call due diligence – a careful and complete investigation into the genuineness of the land, it’s real owner and the land’s official legal status with Government, to avoid issues cropping up later and affecting your ownership rights.

So when buying land, always consult a Property Lawyer to do full findings about the land/building before you proceed.
_
APEX CHAMBERS, Property Lawyers, Attorneys and Barristers in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Phone: +234(0)7030868694 (Calls & Whatsapp)
Email: info@apexchambersglobal.com
Website: www.apexchambersglobal.com