Taraba: No Land Transactions Without Approval From January 2026

Taraba Geographic Information Service (TAGIS) has announced that, starting January 2026, no land purchase or sale will be valid anywhere in the state without clearance from the agency.

The director general of TAGIS, Dr. Mark Ma’aku Joshua, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital.

He stated that the move is part of efforts to tackle land fraud, boundary disputes, illegal land sales and enhance urban planning, as well as to boost the state’s revenue.

He revealed that, the agency is also commencing comprehensive aerial mapping of the entire state, from the districts, down to villages to accurately verify land ownership and eliminate boundary conflicts.

“By next year, nobody will buy or sell land in Taraba State without conducting a search here. Once you register your land, your records are safe, especially those in rural areas,” he said.

Dr. Joshua explained that, land registration will be free of charge, and all that is required is for landowners to engage a surveyor and fill out the Land Property Registration Form, to be endorsed by the village and district heads, traditional ruler, and sealed by the local government chairman.

He emphasised that, this inclusive approach ensures transparency and authenticity of land ownership.

“However, if any form indicates a land dispute, TAGIS will decline registration and trace the applicant using the phone number and address provided.”

He said, despite sensitisation efforts across the 16 local government areas, he lamented that public response has so far been poor.

He urged citizens to take advantage of the window to legalise their land ownership.

The DG TAGIS, also disclosed that the agency has begun recertification of land papers dating back to when the state was part of old Gongola, to prevent trespassing and authenticate documents.

He further explained that, since the agency’s establishment a year ago, TAGIS has converted about 2,000 out of over 40,000 analog files to digital, and has introduced electronic processing and signing of Certificates of Occupancy (CofO).

“Within the last two months alone, the governor has electronically signed over 455 CofOs, a record in the history of the state,” he stated.

According to him, with the new initiative, RofO now takes only seven working days while CofO is issued within 21 working days, from the day the submission of complete documents is made.

He listed full transition from analog to digital land administration, capacity training for staff, establishment of electronic database, online land processing via the agency’s website, digital payment platforms for ground rent, CofO, RofO and property tax and upgrade of filing systems, as some of the achievements recorded.

Dr Joshua then called on traditional rulers, community leaders and residents to support the initiative, assuring that the process is “simple, direct, user-friendly and accessible even via mobile phones.”