The picture above is a screen shot of an Email which i received from one of my readers.

Content of the Email:

Good day ibejulekkilawyer, my name is (withheld). I recently acquired a land somewhere at Ikorodu. When I got the land, the land owner told me that it was undergoing excision but he gave me the survey plan which carried the name of the town on it.  

After I bought the land, I read some of your post on how important it is for a land to have a perfect title. This encouraged me to carry out a search on the land. After this search, I found out that the land I acquired was a government acquired land and that even the survey plan I was given was fake. Is it possible for me to save my land, or is all hope lost?

To you, and anyone facing the same, all hope is not lost. You can still save your land.

This is a common issue faced by many innocent land buyers in Lagos State, they fall prey of fraudulent people claiming to be legitimate land owners who swindle people out of their hard earned money. Luckily, there is a solution to these problems.

However, it might not be definite if the land in question does not fall under certain categories of the law. I will explain this process in the simplest form possible.

The process that has been made available for rectifying this default is commonly called Regularization (LAND REGULARIZATION IN LAGOS STATE). Regularization is the process whereby unsuspecting members of the public residing on uncommitted Government Land (Government Acquired Land) are given a chance to obtain legal title to the land from the State Government.

In other words, when a person occupies a land that is for the government, the state government will assist in allocation such illegal occupant a title to the land. It should be noted that if a government land is committed, no regularization can be granted on the land.

A Government Acquired Land in Lagos State means that the government has probable plans for such property that could be acted upon in the nearest future. These lands can be there for years, and when innocent people acquire these lands from fraudulent dealers, the government grants title to these people on the land at its discretion. This is however dependent on what the initial plan for the land was.

A committed land as the name implies means that such land has already been planned for by the Lagos State Government. The government cannot approve any regularization process on a committed land.

THERE ARE HOWEVER TWO BASIC RULES TO BE ADHERED TO BEFORE A REGULARIZATION PROCESS CAN BE GRANTED

• This regularization process can only be granted if the land is not situated within a Government Scheme, Estate or a Committed Area.
• It can also be granted if the land is situated within an area that conforms with Urban and Regional Planning regulations and standards of the State. This means that if your land is at the appropriate distances from drainage systems, canals, oil and gas pipelines, PHCN transformers, high tension wires, electricity and telephone poles, water pipelines, or does not fall on road alignments, or within forest reserved area, such regularization process can be granted.

If otherwise, such land is lost and with whatever structure on it. For this, there is no remedy.

In conclusion to my reader’s question above and to everyone out there with similar issues, there is hope for your land if it is like you said; a Government Acquired land. This article should serve as a caution to everyone out there wishing to be a land owner. I cannot emphasize this enough. It is important to conduct a proper search on a land before buying to avoid future complications.

For further assistance, explanation, or consultation on this subject matter, or any Registering you land/property or other related issues, do not hesitate to contact me via [email protected] or Call 08034869295. 

The post IS ALL HOPE LOST WHEN YOU ACQUIRE A GOVERNMENT LAND? (LAND REGULARIZATION) appeared first on Ibeju Lekki Lawyer.