Ibadan is known as one of the most notorious cities to buy land because of the many troubles that come with it.
By Dennis Isong
In 2001, Mr Ade bought a plot of land in a place in Ibadan called Aduloju village. Little did he know that the land spelt trouble for him.
The first problem he encountered was some people coming to claim ownership. In the process of dragging the issue, he got to know that the person that sold the land to him was a fraudster. He ended up paying twice just to retain the land. As if that was not enough trouble, after he commenced construction on the site, soldiers from the barracks (cantonment was close to the area) laid claims to the land.
The soldiers, instead of having a peaceful conversation, resorted to dehumanizing any site worker found by beating the daylight out of them. This got people scared of coming to the place. Eventually, after three years of battles and back and forth, also parting with some money, it was resolved.
Now imagine the physical, mental, and financial stress Mr Ade went through.
Ibadan is almost becoming a bustling city like Lagos. People have migrated tremendously to the city over the past three years and its economy is beginning to take good shape.
Ibadan is known as one of the most notorious cities to buy land because of the many troubles that come with it. But you can still get a trouble-free land if you follow some steps.
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- Be sure it’s not owned by the military.
Some land close to military barracks is always a subject of dispute as the military oftentimes lay claim to them. One of the important things to do is to make enquiries if it is not close to any military barracks. If it is, there is every possibility that you may have a similar experience to Mr Ade.
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.
You need to put into consideration the topography of the land. Some areas are swampy and highly flooded during the rainy season. You may not know if you are buying the land during the dry season.
If you are buying the land to build on it, find out how it is when it rains. Land with this kind of issue is 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. 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 disputes in the past
Investigate if there has never been a family dispute in the past concerning the land. It is no news that land dispute exists in two out of five families. In the heat of this fracas, some unscrupulous humans 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 much struggle 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 yourself to invest in such property. Land with such signposts is 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 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 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 like I earlier mentioned, it is part of the job of a lawyer to see to all documents attached with 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 that. 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.