Can the State Force Land Owner Sell Land to It? If no, why? And, if yes, why? And what's the compensation mechanism available to the owner? This is the question many properties investors have asked me over time in the course of my marketing and prospecting. States or State In Nigeria cannot force landowners to sell land to it because it will be a violation of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), Cap C23, LFN 2004 where the Constitution specifically affirms thus: as a fundamental human right, the right of every Nigeria citizen to acquire and own immovable property anywhere in the country is not negotiable. However, real property (land) may be acquired by the State from a landowner for overriding public interest and with obvious reason. Therefore for State to acquire a title holder's property, the Land Use Act of 1978, Cap L5, LFN (as amended) in 2004, provides that the government of that State must do the following to avoid coercion 👇 ♦ Issue a notice of acquisition (by way of revocation of the person's Certificate of Occupancy) duly signed by the governor or a specified authorised officer. ♦ Serve the notice of acquisition on the titleholder ♦ Gazette the notice of acquisition ♦ Advertise the acquisition ♦ Pay compensation for acquisition to the title holders. 👉 Note this: in the event that this arises, the compensation to the titleholder is paid based on the worth or value of the property at the point of acquisition. In this case, the evaluation surveyor does his or her job properly to make sure the citizen whose property is revocated is not on the receiving end. In doing this, the economic development on the land is also taken into consideration. Cases of the government taking land from its citizens are rare but when it happened due process is followed based on the existing rule of law that governs the people. #realestatelaw #LandAcquisition #nigerialaw #GenuineRealtor #smartinvest https://www.instagram.com/p/CDBZx1lncL5/?igshid=mr4awxk64mzw