Mrs Rolake Akinkugbe-Filani, Chief Financial Officer, Mixta Africa, a real estate firm, has warned intending property owners to obtain and validate original title documents in transactions to escape the fraudulent trap of land grabbers.
Akinkugbe-Filani, in a virtual interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, also warned property owners to avoid leaving land fallow for too long to ward off land grabbers.
She warned that not having the accurate original title documents, as well as fallow lands and houses, were some factors that attracted land grabbers to properties.
According to her, this situation also poses security risk in communities.
She advised people who could not afford the legal fees of carrying out a search on documents to approach the Federal, State and Local Government Area agencies saddled with the responsibility of land and property acquisition.
She said that those agencies offered free services that the public should explore to escape fraudulent property transactions.
“If your land or you are buying a house from anybody ask for the original title documents. We always say to our consumers and customers to ask questions and ask for original titles.
“If you are doing a secondary transaction, that is, you are not buying from the original developer but you are buying from someone who has bought from the original developer, ask them for the title documents.
“Try to validate them, go to the registry, go to the Lagos State Registry in Alausa or wherever it is that you need to go to and get validation on that documentation.
“And do not consummate any transaction until you have read and properly understood the terms of any contractual agreement you are getting into,’’ she said.
The real estate expert warned that understanding contractual property agreements was important and must be taken seriously while warning against leaving land fallow.
“And if you do buy land, keeping landed property in Nigeria for years without building on it can be quite risky even when you have a proper title,“ she said.
She said that Mixta Africa had properties with title across Africa and was offering safe real estate investment platforms for Nigerians in Diaspora to own land properties back home.
Akinkugbe-Filani said the firm is committed to affordable housing across Lagos and that its estates were validated to keep all the headaches of property acquisition in Lagos away from consumers.
Speaking on the ongoing New Town Development project being handled by the firm on the Lekki axis, she said several estates were planned within the settlement to meet the demands of various consumers.
Akinkugbe-Filani said the project also had an opportunity for those who want to buy land and build by themselves, saying that all title documents had been perfected.
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She revealed plans to construct estates in Ikeja, Ebute Metta, Apapa and FESTAC axis in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State.
