In a country where land fraud costs billions annually, LandSafe is using technology to transform how Nigerians verify property ownership
On a humid Wednesday morning in Lagos, Adetunde Ogunlesi stands at the edge of what he believed was his property—a half-acre plot in the rapidly developing Lekki Peninsula.
The investment banker had wired ₦25 million ($16,700) from his London account six months earlier for land to build a retirement home. Now, he faced three other “owners” claiming the same plot, each with seemingly legitimate documents.
“I followed every procedure. I used a family-recommended agent. I even consulted a lawyer,” says Ogunlesi, his voice tense with frustration. “Now I’m told the Certificate of Occupancy I was given doesn’t exist in the registry.”
Ogunlesi’s story echoes across Nigeria, where real estate fraud has evolved into a sophisticated criminal enterprise costing the economy an estimated $4 billion annually, according to industry analysts.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) lists land fraud among the country’s most prevalent financial crimes, with Lagos alone recording over 1,577 real estate fraud petitions since 2020.
In a nation with a critical 17 million housing unit deficit and urbanization exceeding 51%, land has become a premium commodity—and a prime target for sophisticated scams.
The Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) points to a systematic exploitation of verification gaps in a sector growing 6-8% annually.
The System’s Structural Failures
Nigeria’s 1978 Land Use Act, which vests ultimate land ownership in state governors, created a centralized system that industry experts now recognize as fundamentally flawed.
This centralization, combined with fragmented registries and limited digitization, has created fertile ground for fraud.
“We’re operating on a regulatory architecture designed before computers existed,” says Temiloluwa Dosumu, founding CEO of LandSafe, a property verification startup confronting these challenges. “The governance structures meant to protect citizens have instead become exploitable vulnerabilities.”
Dosumu, a 10-year legal maven, is no stranger to Nigeria’s regulatory and real estate complexities. He previously led legal and technology teams at top-tier firms like SimmonsCooper Partners and Famsville, working with major institutions including GTCO, AMCON, and state governments on land recovery and due diligence.
Temi Dosunmu, LandSafe’s Founding CEO
The fraud patterns are diverse and evolving. Beyond the notorious “Omo Onile” (children of the land) scammers who sell the same plot to multiple buyers, sophisticated operations now involve fake property listings, fraudulent title documents, multiple rent collection schemes, and entire fake development companies.
For Nigeria’s urban professionals and 15-million-strong diaspora, who remit an estimated $20 billion annually, with real estate absorbing a significant portion, the risk calculus of property investment has become prohibitively complex.
Technology as the Disruptor
Against this backdrop, LandSafe represents a new category of African proptech companies leveraging technology to address structural inefficiencies in property markets. The startup offers comprehensive verification services, conducting background checks on properties within 24-48 hours—significantly faster than the industry standard of five days.
“What we’re building is essentially a trust layer for real estate transactions,” explains Dosumu. “Everyone interested in acquiring a parcel of land or property should be able to generate a comprehensive report with a few clicks on their phones. That’s the future.”
Unlike law firms or individual real estate lawyers, the platform is not tied to a person or practice.
Instead, LandSafe is software-first, powered by a network of verified agents, lawyers, and AI tools that allow for rapid assessments of property risk, document validity, and ownership claims.
It’s also partnership-ready, with integrations designed for banks, real estate companies, fintechs, and proptech platforms.
Market Transformation or Drop in the Ocean?
While LandSafe currently operates in Lagos, Abuja, and Ogun states—which reportedly account for over 500,000 property scams annually—the company faces the enormous prospect of scaling verification services across Africa’s most populous nation.
With over $3.7 billion in annual real estate transactions in Nigeria and rampant fraud reported by both locals and the diaspora, LandSafe enters a massive untapped market.
Industry analysts remain cautiously optimistic. “Proptech solutions like LandSafe represent the beginning of necessary market evolution,” says Adegbemi Odungbawa, former President of an association of Mortgage Bankers in Nigeria. ”
For financial institutions like microfinance banks that accept land as collateral, the potential impact extends beyond fraud prevention to accelerating capital deployment.
How To Verify Real Estate In Nigeria?
Verifying real estate in Nigeria is as simple as logging into LandSafe and getting a comprehensive report in hours.
The process naturally demands rigorous due diligence that many property buyers often overlook. LandSafe has streamlined this critical process for both individual and institutional investors, offering comprehensive verification services across Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states.
The verification process begins with title document authentication, where experts cross-reference property documents with official land registries to confirm legitimacy. This crucial step identifies forged Certificates of Occupancy and other fraudulent ownership claims immediately.
Next, physical land inspection confirms boundary accuracy and identifies potential encroachment issues, while legal searches reveal existing liens, encumbrances, or litigation affecting the property.
LandSafe’s technology platform integrates these verification steps, delivering detailed property reports within 24-48 hours, compared to the industry standard of 5-7 days.
For diaspora investors particularly vulnerable to “Omo Onile” scams, LandSafe’s digital verification platform provides remote access to comprehensive property checks before transferring funds.
“The simplest path to verifying real estate in Nigeria is to visit LandSafe and click “Verify Now”—or “Speak to an expert”, if you’d like to have a chat with a team member before proceeding with your verification or land purchase,” explains Busayo Awobade, the machine learning expert that drives Landsafe’s technical vision to integrate AI into legaltech products.
This land verification process is essential before purchasing any property in Nigeria, as it eliminates the significant financial risk posed by the country’s widespread land fraud issues.
The Economic Imperative
Nigeria’s real estate sector stands at a pivotal moment. With urbanization accelerating and the government’s Renewed Hope Housing Scheme aiming to deliver 300,000 new homes, the stakes for building market trust have never been higher.
This shift is happening alongside the global shift of capital into legaltech startups—a growing trend LandSafe is fittingly positioned to benefit from. Zach Posner, cofounder and managing partner of The Legal Tech Fund, described the sector as “hot as you can humanly imagine.”
Foreign direct investment in Nigerian real estate is projected to rise by 15% in 2025, but industry observers note that international capital consistently cites verification challenges as a primary barrier to deeper market participation.
“There’s a direct correlation between verification transparency and capital inflows,” explains Dosumu. “Our mission extends beyond protecting individual buyers to unlocking the sector’s full economic potential.”
For everyday Nigerians like Ogunlesi, however, the improvements can’t come soon enough. After months of legal battles, he recovered only 40% of his investment—a better outcome than many fraud victims experience.
“No Nigerian should have to choose between homeownership dreams and financial security,” reflects Caleb Nnamani, who drives storytelling for LandSafe. “We need systems where trust isn’t a luxury. That’s LandSafe.”
