Double Sale of One and The Same Piece of Land in Cameroon: The Legal Implications

Abstract

Over the years, the issue of double sale of one and the same parcel of land in Cameroon has been ‘hitting bells. This may be as a result of the high demand of land and population growth. Thus, land owners who relinquished their rights over their land through sale double cross the first buyer and resell the same parcel to another which therefore sparks fray amongst the buyers as to who is the rightful owner on the one hand, and on the other hand, calls for legal intervention to settle the scores. Thus, to sell land in Cameroon like elsewhere, the buyer has the obligation to trenchantly ferret if there is any interest on that piece of land and ask the seller to provide acute information concerning the piece of land to avoid future inimical. To purchase land in Cameroon, there are formalities and procedures to respect if the purchaser is a national or a foreigner. Thus, distraction from the majesty of and ultimately falling into desuetude is detrimental to the buyer. However, the problem this paper seeks to address is that the notion of double sale of one and the same piece of land to more than one person has been cacophonous in Cameroon, which therefore sets in motion the question; what does the law say on double sale of one and the same parcel of land to more than one person? Is the law actually erect or fallen? Here then lies the thrust of this paper.