ABUJA / ONLINE — Legal Playbook and IATAFRICA INTERNATIONAL held a joint virtual seminar on Saturday, August 15, 2026, focused on helping investors navigate title risks, conduct effective due diligence, and protect themselves against property fraud in the Nigerian real estate market.
The seminar marked the launch of the organisations’ Real Estate Investment Series, an educational initiative designed to provide practical guidance on legal due diligence and investment protection, with particular attention to the challenges faced by diaspora investors.
Tracing the Root of Title and Official Verification
Speaking at the seminar, Peter Odu, Partner at The Legal Playbook highlighted the importance of tracing a property’s complete root of title, from the original government grant through every subsequent allottee, transfer and owner.
Odu cautioned investors against relying solely on promotional materials, estate brochures or informal descriptions of properties. He stressed the need to independently verify official property particulars, including coordinates, boundaries, plot numbers, existing occupants and structures, as well as neighbouring developments, through official searches and physical inspections.
The session covered key verification steps, including:
- Conducting official land registry, corporate, court and planning approval searches.
- Verifying survey plans, zoning requirements, permitted land use and development density.
- Identifying potential encumbrances, including mortgages, leases, litigation, family claims, double allocations and government acquisitions.
Protecting Diaspora Investors and Identifying Fraud Red Flags
Addressing the heightened risks faced by investors living outside Nigeria who may be unable to personally inspect properties or visit government land offices, Odu presented a structured 10-step, lawyer-led due diligence framework.
The framework takes investors through key stages of a transaction, including seller verification, official searches, physical site inspection, valuation, contract negotiation, payment structuring and the eventual perfection of title.
Odu also highlighted common red flags associated with property fraud. These included pressure to make immediate payment, missing or inconsistent documentation, resistance to the appointment of an independent buyer-retained lawyer, unresolved litigation and requests for funds to be paid directly to agents.
Practical Abuja Case Scenario: “Never Pay Before Due Diligence”
To demonstrate how these principles apply in practice, the seminar examined a hypothetical ₦150 million property transaction in Abuja in which an agent was urging the prospective buyer to make immediate payment.
Seminar participants Chief Chigbo Uzokwelu, Ahmed Kasim and Odi-akpa Oluchukwu unanimously rejected the proposal, reinforcing the principle that comprehensive due diligence should be completed before a buyer makes a financial commitment.
Odu explained that a property should only be considered “investment-ready” after the relevant searches, inspections and risk assessments have been completed and the identified risks have been properly evaluated.
He subsequently presented a 10-point investment checklist and explained the distinct roles of title documents, search reports and transaction contracts in protecting a property buyer.
Market Dynamics and Future Sessions
Commenting on the broader real estate environment, Chief Chigbo Uzokwelu observed that rapid population growth, combined with the finite availability of land, continues to increase market friction, fraud risks and competing ownership claims across Nigeria.
Chief Uzokwelu stressed the importance of professional legal representation in real estate transactions, particularly where significant investments are involved, noting that effective legal due diligence can help investors avoid substantial financial losses and prolonged disputes.
In his closing remarks, Chief Uzokwelu thanked Odu and the participants for their contributions and confirmed that the August 15 seminar was the first in a planned series of educational sessions on real estate investment.
Participants were also invited to submit topic suggestions by email for consideration in future sessions, with existing participants receiving priority consideration for upcoming events.
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