Aside from Lagos, Ibadan is another prominent city in the southwest part of Nigeria. Like Lagos, it is always full of hustling and bustling. It’s a top commercial centre within the region. It remains a point of attraction to many people as they continue to migrate to the city every day. Despite this, Ibadan is one of the most notorious cities to buy land as it is accompanied by so many troubles. Getting a genuine and trouble-free land in Ibadan requires a lot of effort from the buyer in order not to fall, victim. It might seem stressful, but better than facing the stress that comes with buying a controversial landed property. City People Reporter, JAMIU ABUBAKAR had an interview with Dennis Isong, a real estate marketer who understands the terrain and logic of land acquisition in Ibadan. He helps people invest right in Real Estate in the city. He, therefore, gave insight into 10 things you need to do before you buy land in Ibadan. Below are the excerpts:
“I would highlight some of the steps you ought to take as follows:
(1) Be sure it’s not owned by soldiers: Some lands close to the army barracks are always claimed by the army. Yes, you may see people build on it but sooner or later, it becomes a great problem. Some houses in this category have been demolished over the years. One of the important things to do is to make enquiries if the army barracks is not close to such an area. If it is, there is every possibility that you will have problems with it.
(2) Pay attention to the topography: Pay attention to the topography so you don’t buy land where it becomes a pain in the ass during the rainy season. Some areas are swampy and highly flooded during the rainy season. You may not find out if you are buying the land when there is no rainfall yet. If you are buying the land to build on it, find out how it is when it rains. Lands with this kind of issue are being sold to unsuspected buyers in Ibadan which becomes a pain in the neck as time goes on.
(3) Ask for the family involved: This shouldn’t be ignored if you are buying land in Ibadan. There is every possibility that the land you are about to buy does not belong to the people you want to buy it from. The only way to know this is when you are being attacked for building on their land just the way they did to Mr Ade. This is common in Ibadan and many have fallen for it and could continue if some steps are ignored in the process of buying land.
(4) Family dispute in the past: Investigate if there has never been a family dispute in the past concerning the land. It is no news that land disputes exist in 2 out of 5 families. In the heat of this fracas, some unscrupulous individuals may want to seize the opportunity to sell the land. This is one mistake you can make if you have not done your due diligence. Eventually, you either leave the land after so many struggles or keep paying a fee that was not in any way involved during the transaction. Some cases have been recorded of people eventually abandoning the land after paying so much because the dispute doesn’t just get resolved on time and the families were beginning to go metaphysical concerning it.
(5) Request that they give you a complete document.
Of all the steps to take, this is the most important: Don’t just ask for the documents and rest, track them down to the state secretariat for verification or show a lawyer to confirm their authentication. Fake land documents fly around which you may not discover on time and that can cause you to lose the land in the long run.
(6) Do not risk buying any land that has a warning: Do not risk buying any land that has a warning no matter how convincingly genuine they market it to you. You must be familiar with this inscription THIS LAND IS NOT FOR SALE, BEWARE OF 419… This is the biggest red flag. For someone to boldly put that signpost on a land, spells doom. It would be a great disservice to you to invest in such property. Lands with such signposts are going through a bad dispute that may even involve a long-term court case that you don’t want to get caught up with.
(7) Verify from the secretariat if the land is genuine: This verification is vital. Like what Mr Ade experienced, you may experience the same if you are not sure about the rightful owner of the land. Some lands belong to the government; some are not supposed to have any form of structure, while some are on the major road but you’d not know until road construction is done. This happened to many house owners during the past regime of the late governor Ajimobi. You can only be sure if it’s genuine by confirming from the secretariat or town planning office lest you make mistakes.
(8) Start building on it immediately: This is in the form of claiming ownership. Any land in Ibadan that doesn’t have any structure is easily resold. And don’t be surprised if it’s being resold by the same set of people you bought it from. We have enough cases of land being sold to more than 10 people, so you can’t afford to leave the property unattended.
(9) Put a warning in the form of a signpost on the land: Just like the signpost to warn you against buying a property from 419, it is advisable that you also do the same. It doesn’t make it 100% safe; nevertheless, it would still go a long way in safeguarding your property from land thieves.
(10) Involve a property lawyer: In all that you do concerning buying landed property, make sure you involve a property lawyer. The lawyers do a lot for you to make sure that you are buying genuine land. As I earlier mentioned, it is part of the job of a lawyer to see all documents attached to the land and confirm their originality. Do not buy land that doesn’t have its papers complete. Most Ibadan land sellers would try to convince you that it’s nothing, please do not succumb to their conviction and false claims. In order to avoid this stress, it is highly advisable to buy from a property company and not just any individual. Also, make sure the size of the land on paper is accurate in existence before buying a land.
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