Document Examination and Forgery Detection in Land Title Disputes in Rivers State

Land title fraud involving forged documents has contributed significantly to property disputes and associated violence in the Niger Delta region. This study investigates the forensic examination of questioned documents submitted as evidence in land title disputes adjudicated in Rivers State between 2019 and 2024. A case study design was employed, with data drawn from thirty contested land documents obtained from the Rivers State High Court registry and the Ministry of Lands. Forensic document examination techniques applied include handwriting comparison, ink dating, paper fibre analysis, and typeface identification. The study assesses the frequency of forgery typologies, the adequacy of existing forensic document examination infrastructure, and the evidentiary weight assigned to expert testimony by presiding judges. Results show that alteration of dates and forged signatures were the dominant forgery methods, appearing in seventy-three percent of reviewed cases. Expert forensic testimony was accepted in only half of the cases due to challenges in establishing examiner credibility and inadequate report formatting. The study recommends the development of a standardised forensic document examination protocol for Nigerian courts and the capacity building of examiners in advanced ink analysis methods. Keywords: document examination, forgery detection, land title, Rivers State, questioned documents.