Excision and Gazette in Nigeria (2026): How to Check If Land Is Government-Approved

By Folagbade Daniel · Lands of Nigeria — 6+ years working inside the Nigerian land market.

Here’s the thing most sellers won’t volunteer: in Nigeria, the government technically owns almost all land under the Land Use Act. Communities and families have lived on it for generations, but on paper the state holds it. Excision is the legal act that hands a specific piece back to its traditional owners so it can be bought, sold and built on without the risk of a sudden government takeover. If you’ve ever heard someone say a plot is “under acquisition,” this is the exact problem they’re worried about.

What does “excision” actually mean?

Excision is the formal release of community or family land from government acquisition. Once the state approves it, that parcel is no longer locked under the government’s compulsory-acquisition power — meaning it can’t be taken back without compensation, and it can be perfected into stronger titles later. Think of excision as the land getting a clean bill of health from the one party that outranks every seller: the government itself.

And what is the “gazette”?

The gazette is the official government publication that lists every parcel of land that has been excised — which community it was released to, and the precise acreage. When people say land is “gazetted,” they mean it appears in that public record with a traceable gazette number. Without the gazette entry, an excision is incomplete: a verbal claim, not a legal fact. The gazette is what turns “the omonile said it’s released” into something a court, a bank and a registry will actually recognise.

Excision vs gazette vs C of O: how they fit together

How to check if land is excised and gazetted (step by step)

1. Ask for the gazette number and the survey plan. A genuine seller of excised land can give you the gazette number, the year, and the community name. No number, no deal — start there.
2. Run a search at the state lands office. In Lagos this is the Lagos State Lands Bureau; Abuja uses AGIS; other states have their own registries. Your own lawyer lodges the search — never the seller’s.
3. Chart the survey plan. Have a licensed surveyor take the plot’s coordinates to the Surveyor-General’s office to confirm the land falls inside the excised acreage and isn’t sitting on a government acquisition, a road setback or someone else’s boundary. This “charting” step is the one buyers skip and regret.
4. Demand a Certified True Copy (CTC). Get a CTC of the search result and the charting certificate — the stamped, signed version the registry stands behind. A CTC is what holds up if a dispute ever reaches court.
5. Cross-check the community and acreage. Confirm the community named in the gazette is the one actually selling, and that the total plots being sold aren’t larger than the acreage that was released.

What most guides leave out

Three honest points the glossy explainers skip. First, “excision in progress” is not a title — it’s a hope. Sellers love the phrase because it sounds official. It isn’t. Until the excision is approved and gazetted, the land is still legally under acquisition and can be revoked. Treat “in progress” as “not yet safe,” and price the risk accordingly. Second, practitioners widely report that Lagos has granted very few new excisions since the mid-2010s, shifting its focus to processing C of O on land that was already excised [VERIFY exact policy cut-off before publishing]. So a plot advertised as getting a “fresh excision” in 2026 deserves real scepticism. Third, a gazette covers a community’s acreage, not your specific plot. Unscrupulous sellers gazette-drop — waving a real gazette for a huge parcel while selling you a corner that actually sits on an excluded road or a neighbour’s land. That’s why the charting check matters as much as the gazette number itself.

Frequently asked questions

Is excised and gazetted land safe to buy?

It’s one of the safer positions, because the land is out of government acquisition and can be perfected into a C of O. But you still must chart your specific plot and confirm the seller has the right to sell it. Excision protects the parcel; due diligence protects your corner of it.

What’s the difference between excision and a Certificate of Occupancy?

Excision releases community land from government acquisition; a C of O is your individual, registrable title to a plot within it. Excision is usually the step that makes a C of O possible. See our breakdown of what a C of O costs in 2026.

How do I find a gazette number?

Ask the seller for it directly, then verify it through a registry search at the state Lands Bureau via your own lawyer. If the seller can’t produce a gazette number, the land is almost certainly not gazetted.

Can land be “excised” but not “gazetted”?

In practice, an excision only becomes reliable once it’s published in the gazette. Land that is “excised but not gazetted” should be treated as unconfirmed — the publication is what makes it verifiable and safe.

Does excision apply outside Lagos?

The concept applies across Nigeria under the Land Use Act, though each state runs its own registry and gazette. Abuja buyers verify through AGIS; other states through their Ministry of Lands. The principle is identical: confirm the release is officially recorded.

Related guides: How to Verify Land Title in Lagos (2026) · 7 Documents to Demand Before You Pay for Land · Land Title Documents, Ranked Safest to Riskiest · How to Spot a Forged C of O or Survey Plan