Losing a land document is not like losing a receipt. The paper itself can matter in a dispute, so the affidavit needs more care than most.
Why this affidavit needs extra care
A certificate of occupancy or a deed of assignment is often the only paper proof of a transaction that may have happened years earlier.
Courts, banks and land registries take a missing land document seriously, because a lost original can be forged, sold on, or used to mislead a buyer who does not know it went missing.
What to state about the missing document
Name the exact document: a certificate of occupancy, a deed of assignment, a survey plan, or a receipt of purchase, with its reference number if you still have it anywhere.
Describe the property itself, briefly, so the affidavit is clearly tied to one plot and not read as a general statement about "my documents".
State when you last saw it and what you believe happened. A commissioner for oaths, a notary public, or a judge of the Federal High Court or a higher court takes the oath and stamps the affidavit once you have sworn to it.
Telling the land registry
An affidavit sworn at court does not, on its own, update anything at your state's land registry.
Take a copy of the sealed affidavit to that office and ask what its own lost-document process needs. Registries vary by state, so confirm directly rather than assuming one state's rule applies in another.
If the land is being sold, mortgaged or contested, get a property lawyer involved before you rely on the affidavit alone. The value at stake usually justifies the advice, and a lawyer can also say whether your case needs a public notice of the loss.
What the court stamp duty costs
The court charge for swearing a single affidavit is small, and each registry sets its own figure for a standard one-page statement.
A land affidavit is often longer than a simple lost-SIM statement, since it needs to identify the property precisely. That can affect the stamp duty. See affidavit of loss: cost in Nigeria for how the government charge and any service fee are usually broken down.
If the land has a mortgage or a pending sale
A bank holding the property as security, or a buyer mid-purchase, needs to know about a lost document straight away, not after the affidavit is already sworn.
Telling them early gives everyone time to agree on what evidence they will accept, rather than disputing it once money has already changed hands.
Common mistakes
- Treating the affidavit as proof of title. It only proves you reported a loss, not that you own the land.
- Leaving out the property's identifying details, which makes the affidavit harder to match to the right plot later.
- Skipping the land registry, on the assumption the court affidavit is the only step needed.
- Waiting until a sale is already in progress before mentioning the missing document to the other party.
For where affidavits are sworn generally, see our affidavit guides, including affidavit of loss: where, how and how much.