Abstract Heavy oil and Bitumen from tar sands are important energy assets, and have the potential to significantly contribute to the overall energy supply in Nigeria. Nigeria tar sand deposits are found in large accumulations, notably, in huge outcrops in the South-Western region. The initial survey in the early 1980 indicated existence of tar sands in commercial quantity. Petrophysical parameters of these tar sands were measured. However, little information was provided under which conditions these parameters were obtained. Key issues of concerns are the state of technology at that time and how well are the petrophysical characteristics of these sands defined. In the present work, outcrops samples were taken from seven (7) different locations in the Nigeria tar sand reservoirs. Their petrophysical properties such as porosity, permeability, and water saturation were estimated at surface conditions. Laboratory results obtained showed good agreement when compared with data from existing literature.