Every property document in Nigeria, explained

If you're renting or buying in Nigeria, you will run into an alphabet soup of property documents: C of O, R of O, deed of assignment, governor's consent, gazette, survey plan, allocation letter, excision, family receipt, purchase receipt. Each one proves a different thing. Some prove almost nothing. Several are faked so routinely that Nigerian lawyers have whole sub-specialties dedicated to spotting the forgeries.

This guide is the reference our Trust & Safety team uses when reviewing landlord submissions at NoBroker Nigeria. We review documents every working day and have seen versions of almost every scam the market produces. If you're about to sign a lease or hand money to someone claiming to own a property, work through these documents in order. The further up the list you can get, the stronger your position.

What a "land document" actually is

Before the specifics: the Nigerian land system rests on the Land Use Act of 1978. Under the Act, all urban land in a state is technically owned by the state governor, who grants occupancy rights to private persons and companies through a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) or, in customary areas, a Right of Occupancy (R of O).

Every subsequent document is a derivative of this grant. A deed of assignment transfers the rights granted by a C of O from one holder to another. Governor's consent ratifies that transfer. An allocation letter is an estate developer's internal document saying "this unit within the parcel we hold the C of O on has been allocated to you."

Understanding that hierarchy — grant, transfer, ratification, allocation — is the single most valuable thing you can learn about Nigerian property paperwork. It tells you what every document does and, critically, what it doesn't do.

1. Certificate of Occupancy (C of O)

The C of O is the highest-level document most individuals will ever see on a Nigerian property. It is issued by the state (in Lagos, by the Governor through the Lands Bureau) and grants the holder a right to occupy and develop the land for a fixed term — typically 99 years — subject to conditions.

A genuine C of O has:

• A parcel number (block and plot references)
• A survey plan number that matches the attached survey
• The governor's signature and seal
• A registered serial number traceable in the Lands Registry

It does not automatically mean the person handing it to you is the current owner. C of Os can be transferred, and the holder of the original C of O may have sold it on via a deed of assignment years ago. Always ask for the current ownership paperwork alongside the C of O. For a dedicated deep-dive see our .