My neighbour's son came to my house with a court letter, and I had to sit him down

This boy, Emeka, 26 years old, came to my door on Friday evening holding a letter from the Lagos State High Court. His hand was shaking. His mother, Mama Ngozi, was behind him crying.

Some man sold him a plot of land in Ikorodu for ₦4.5 million, collected the money, gave him a receipt, and then disappeared. No deed of assignment. No survey plan. Nothing. Just a receipt written on a torn notebook page.

I looked at him and asked one question. Did you do a search at the Lands Bureau before you paid? He said no. His mother said the man was a church member, so they trusted him.

See ehn, a receipt is not a title. A receipt is just paper that says money changed hands. It does not prove ownership. Section 22 of the Land Use Act is clear on this. Before you pay for any land in Lagos, go to the Lands Bureau in Alausa. Do a search. Confirm the true owner. Check if there is any government acquisition on that land.

Emeka's ₦4.5 million is gone. He is now in court, but the man has no property to attach. The case will run for years. I told him the truth. He cried.

How many of us are still buying land on trust and church membership alone?