Someone wants to sell community/family land to me. What do I need to know?

Traditionally in Nigeria, land could belong to a community or family where such land devolved to individual members of such family.

If a member of such family is selling a land to you, upon due diligence, you can proceed to deal with him/or her under the supervision of your lawyer.

Where the land belongs to a family, a member of the family lacks the power to sell to you such land else you will acquire a wrong title. With the support of your lawyer, you must demand to see the head of the family and any other principal member of the family. They are the people who can validly transfer such title in land to you. If a member purportedly sells a family land to you without the consent of the head and a principal member of the family, you have not acquired a good title.

This same principle applies to the community land. The head and a principal of the community must transfer the title and must sign for and on behalf of the community.