InvertedHammer:

On the converse, you can spare yourself the heartache and purchase a flight ticket that will cost about $1200 during off season and be there physically present to witness the transactions after all investigations are completed.

No money handed out is guaranteed.

I will not advise anyone to send money to anyone (no matter how closely related) to purchase a land.

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE!

lands that have being purchased for them inside the bush fit for only Monkeys to occupy or buy extremely water logged lands that will make them spend so much money to sand fill

Okiki_Oluwa: Hm! It's a pity that no one can be trusted @ 100% in this world.

melojames: Nice write-up, poster. It really destroys the business of the few genuine Estate Agents in Nigeria.

Let us also always endeavour to expose the fraudster & quacks scamming buyers to the security agencies & also drop their names on NL.
God Bless

van bonattel:

Same way guys in Nigeria should be adviced to buy themselves an air ticket and hop into the plane to buy themselves a car in the US, who trusts all our naija guys in the diaspora with our 419 mentality and ripping off Nigerians who send money for stuff to be bought for them?
The Nigerians wey dey abroad are more criminal minded than the ones in naija.

Rastamann: Whats happens if I cannot be there personally because I live abroad and not chanced to travel?

Rastamann: Whats happens if I cannot be there personally because I live abroad and not chanced to travel?

Rastamann: Whats happens if I cannot be there personally because I live abroad and not chanced to travel?

InvertedHammer:

Take a gamble or keep your money.

As in gamble, it either turns out good or bad

van bonattel:

Why is he sending it at all, shebi all Nigerians na tiff as you talk?

lawyer: For a while now, i have waged a relentless battle against fraudulent land sellers called Omoniles especially in Lagos and trying to expose all their deceitful practices to dupe people off their hard earned money but today am going to change course to raise awareness on another way people are being duped concerning landed issues and this particular article deals with our Good hard working Brothers and Sisters outside the shores of Nigeria slaving themselves day and night to send money back home to their family members or colleagues to help them purchase a land or help them build houses only to finally come back home to see that the money they sent back home has either being squandered stupidly, spent recklessly, the money has being used to develop THEIR OWN PROPERTY INSTEAD OF YOURS or simply that the Money has vanished into Thin Air.

In most situations where the embezzlement has occured, there will be no land purchased or even if the land has being purchased no due diligence was carried out as per se as to validate the authenticity of the land or the description of the land given to the person abroad is totally different from what has been purchased.

I have heard cries of people coming home to see lands that have being purchased for them inside the bush fit for only Monkeys to occupy or buy extremely water logged lands that will make them spend so much money to sand fill or even buy lands for them that the omoniles will continue to drain the pockets of the person due to silly community fees that they are not conversant about until they give up the land. My favourite is always hearing stories of lands purchased by a family member that they cannot locate afterwards and the buyer is going about holding a receipt of a land that he cannot verify.

In fact there are so many personal examples and stories that i know off hand that i will spare loads of readers the bad memories they have encountered in the hands of family members whom they put their trust into but have failed them bitterly. Who do you blame? Your family member? The Seller of the defect Land or your self? Today i read an article in punch with regards to this issue and you can read it here too: http://www.punchng.com/metro/prophetess-arrested-for-n5m-passport-land-fraud/

The major part that caught my eye in the whole story was this:



What i will attempt to do here is to help you prevent such a thing happening to you again if you were once a victim and if your about to venture into such a thing, learn from these points to safe guard your money from family or friends you don't trust to give money to assist you with a project.

1.Always Know what you intend to buy. Don't buy any land based on Internet Pictures Only. We live in a digital age. Tell the family member to compel the Seller or Agent to make a Video recording of the WHOLE AREA IN QUESTION. Don't just settle for the Video of the Land only. Let them video the surrounding streets, easements, accompanying houses or landmarks etc so you can make an Informed decision whether its a place you intend to buy. The first line of any kind of fraud in this instance comes from not knowing where the land is located and how it looks. I have heard of so may people gist with Nigerians abroad that they should send money to buy land because Nigeria is Improving and things are getting better. You hear about beautiful houses in Lekki and they tell you you should buy a land in Lekki but the Land is in Ibeju Lekki and you just throw away money to your relative who ends up purchasing one bushy area that wont see development in the next 20 years. Be firm and know what you intend to buy.

2.Also when you send money to that relative or friend, always send it through a well known registered courier that can document how the money passed through with enough evidence as per the time, date and venue the money was received. Most times i see people abroad send the odd cash of $3000 here or $5000 there etc. These monies have no evidence to back it up and it opens a channel for a plethora of excuses in case the money is to be embezzled because it has no track record of money received and when the person collects the money always ask for the proof of money received.

3. Remember this, When it comes to land matters and money for YOUR OWN PERSONAL USE, there is nothing like being too respectful or keeping quiet or assuming because you're the same blood , you will leave everything in their own discretion. Its your money and its your land or house and you should control everything 100% how it should be used and how the house should turn out to be. Put yourself in this position as if you're in Nigeria personally.

Would you be waiting for instructions from your Aunty abroad to guide you on how to spend your money? Or won't you take decisive action to handle your business? Don't for one moment be afraid to ask about your money at any given time or how its being spent. If you keep quiet, be rest assured that part of your money is flying around in one pepper soup joint somewhere in Nigeria.

4.Another key point is to always involve other parties in the buying process that are totally alien to the person that you sent money to. Make them aware that you have sent money to that person so that they can keep tabs of the person and give you periodic reports. If its your Sister you gave money to, tell a colleague or friend of yours you trust to follow up on it to remind her about the day your going to see the land.The fact that both of them are not close or share any blood covenant will not make them connive at your back to split the money or bring up one cock and bull story to embezzle your money.

5.Also contact a Lawyer and a Surveyor before hand about the transaction and intimate them about their roles to handle the transaction for you legally by first confirming whether the land is a good land to be bought first and foremost and to provide all legal documentations and the surveyor to do a proper survey plan. Trust me if the lawyer or surveyor have not being paid or don't know the land, they will scream out loud and you will know something is going on.

6. On the day of the transaction, you should know the date and time so that you will be on conference call with all parties to know whats going on. Don't feign ignorance or say 'UNCLE SULE' will handle it. Make sure you speak to all parties and the Seller personally and offer your felicitations and promise to settle them when you come. If money hasn't been properly shared to the right channels, they will let you know and you will discover where the problem is coming from.

7.Make sure when they buy the land on your behalf they take physical possession of the Land by snapping pictures and surrounding themselves with all the parties to the transaction so as to identify your land. Make sure the sellers are there and picture showing they receive the money is included as evidence before they come back and say no money touched their hands.

8. Finally after all said and done, when the land has been bought and all loop holes have been covered and nobody embezzled your money, please try and put a small fence there or something and put MAI GUARD there to look after it till you come. Make sure you repeat the same process when sending money for fence and don't say because the last one was successful, so there fore the next one you intend to send will be free of family or friend embezzlement so you drop down your guard.

To all our brothers and sisters abroad working hard to provide for a better future for your families over there and abroad, may such misfortune of bad family members or colleagues you trust to buy land for you on your behalf in Nigeria never befall you!

P:S: My website www.omonilelawyer.com will finally be ready to launch next month and its going to be loaded with all the tips and advise in buying land/property in Lagos and all kinds of scams to avoid. I am very happy

InvertedHammer:

Stop taking it personal.

Every Nigerian is a thief until proven otherwise.