Lagos Warns Residents About Fake Estate Agents Selling Government Flats
The Lagos State Government has issued a serious warning to residents about fake estate agents and scammers advertising non-existent homes in government-owned estates for sale or rent, especially on social media. The Commissioner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, raised this alarm after a fraudulent advertisement falsely claimed that the recently launched Egan-Igando Mixed Housing Estate was still available for sale.
According to the Commissioner, the estate has already been fully allocated. He described any online claims of its availability as a scam orchestrated by dishonest agents trying to deceive unsuspecting individuals. Akinderu-Fatai stressed that the Lagos State Government does not use agents to lease, sell, or rent out flats in any of its housing estates.
He clarified that only the Estate Department of the Lagos State Ministry of Housing is authorised to handle the direct sale of housing units in the state. For units available through mortgage or the rent-to-own scheme, the responsibility lies with the Lagos State Mortgage Board.
The Commissioner urged the public to avoid falling victim to such scams by verifying any housing-related information directly with the Estate Department. He emphasized that any individual or group caught misleading the public with fake offers would face the full weight of the law. The government, he added, will not be held responsible for any losses suffered by those who ignore official guidelines and deal with fraudsters.
Additionally, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Abdulhafis Toriola, has instructed all those who have been allocated flats in the Egan-Igando estate to take full possession of their units. He warned that unoccupied flats risk being revoked. This step, according to him, is crucial in preventing scammers from creating the false impression that some flats are still unallocated and up for grabs.
With housing demand remaining high, the Lagos State Government is intensifying efforts to ensure transparency in property allocation and protect the public from property-related fraud.
