STATUS UPDATE ON REAL ESTATE TRANSACTION AND DOCUMENTATION IN EPE, LAGOS STATE (2024 -2026)

Epe is situated east of the Lekki Peninsula and shares boundaries with Ibeju-Lekki to the south, and Ogun State (near the Ijebu-Ode axis) to the north and east in Lagos State, Nigeria. It is connected to other parts of Lagos State via the Lekki-Epe Expressway.

In the second quarter of 2024, The Lagos State Government placed a documentation pause and planning to hold on untitled Epe land. The "hold" was enacted by the New Towns Development Authority (NTDA) and the Office of the Surveyor General to halt Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) processing, property charting, and registered survey approvals for untitled "freehold" properties.

Expected Results/Outcomes:
- Update the Epe regional master plan,
- Widen infrastructural Right of Ways (RoW),
- Control the spread of illegal development.
- Stop encroachment on proposed LASG scheme areas.
- Identify features and characteristics that will enhance and aid the seamless physical possession of the land by the state government
- Plan and provide infrastructure.

THE BAN HAS BEEN LIFTED
The temporary embargo on land documentation has been lifted in the 3rd quarter of 2026, allowing land transactions and charting to resume following the finalization of the Epe Master Plan.

What’s New: Previously, Epe was widely sold as "freehold" land where buyers could process a C of O directly. Under the newly updated master plan, the government has converted most of these lands into government-allocated lands.

For property owners: Property owners who purchased untitled land in Epe during or before the hold will now be required to pay additional government ratification fees to officially secure their titles. Landowners can officially proceed with pending applications for Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), Governor's Consent, and regularization processes.

Epe property documentation processes resume:
- Resume Lodging of Record Copy: Registered Survey plans for Epe properties can now be officially lodged and verified at the Office of the Surveyor General.
- Status Confirmation: Investors and property owners can now properly confirm land status (whether free, committed, or regularizable) before concluding transactions.
- Regularization Open: Property owners with informal documents can process and regularize their titles, though, unapproved or illegal layouts remain subject to state enforcement.
- Transition to the Master Layout Review: The government specified that the ban lifting follows the completion of the baseline structural mapping under the Epe Mega Smart City framework. Land zones are now categorized so developers can identify government-acquired project corridors easily.

⚠️ Important Caution for Investors
- Lifting the embargo does not mean every piece of land in Epe is completely free of government acquisition or encumbrance.
- Buyers must still do charting to verify if specific plots fall within committed government areas.
- The state government will no longer tolerate developments that compromise orderly and sustainable urban growth.
- Promoters of estates without approved layout divisions remain under active notice to submit planning documents or face strict zoning enforcement.

Put together by Bunmi Obidare from Google search.