The Borno State Geographic Information Service (BOGIS) has explained how fraudulent practices in land documentation previously enabled multiple claims of ownership over the same parcel of land in the state.
The Executive Secretary of BOGIS, Engr. Adam Bababe, said cases where two individuals possessed Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) bearing identical details were largely a result of weaknesses in the former land administration system under the Ministry of Lands and Survey.
According to him, the old system provided for the issuance of four copies of a Certificate of Occupancy. While the original was handed to the landowner, three backup copies were retained—one in the owner’s file, one in the ministry’s central registry and another at the zonal office.
He explained that although the backups were meant to protect records from loss due to fire, flooding or other emergencies, the arrangement was abused by fraudsters, often in collaboration with compromised insiders, who illegally accessed the backup copies and resold the same land to unsuspecting buyers.
This, he said, resulted in situations where two beneficiaries held Certificates of Occupancy with the same information, leading to prolonged disputes, confusion and litigation. In many cases, only experienced ministry officials could identify the original document from the backups, by which time the damage had already been done.
Engr. Bababe said the establishment of BOGIS and the reforms that followed were designed to permanently address the problem.
He disclosed that under the new policy, only one physical Certificate of Occupancy is issued to the rightful landowner, while all backup records are securely digitised and stored on the cloud.
According to him, the digital system has completely blocked the loopholes previously exploited by fraudsters and has significantly improved transparency, accountability and security in land administration.
The Executive Secretary assured landowners that the reforms have fully protected certificate holders and brought an end to cases of multiple ownership claims arising from duplicate land documents.
He reaffirmed BOGIS’ commitment to safeguarding land rights and restoring public confidence in land administration across Borno State.
