The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has sentenced a staff member of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Kinsley Eselebor, to 25 years’ imprisonment for defrauding a land buyer with forged documents
Justice A.O. Musa delivered the judgment on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, after finding Eselebor guilty on all five counts brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In a post on X, the EFCC said the court sentenced Eselebor to seven years’ imprisonment each on counts one, two and three, and two years each on counts four and five, with all sentences to run concurrently and without an option of fine.
The prosecution established that Eselebor, who worked in the FCDA’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning, obtained money from Moses Osinachi for two plots of land, identified as Plots 383 and 424, at Kubwa District Central Annex, Abuja, despite having no valid title to sell the properties.
The case was initially filed in March 2021 with three counts of obtaining money under false pretences before being amended to five counts, including charges relating to the use of forged documents as genuine.`
According to evidence presented in court, Osinachi and Eselebor were neighbours and worshipped at the same church. Their relationship, alongside Eselebor’s position as an FCDA employee, reportedly strengthened the buyer’s confidence in the transaction.
The court heard that Eselebor presented two conveyance documents bearing the names Yusuf Lawan and Adegoke Asiwaju to convince Osinachi that the properties were genuine. After seeking further confirmation, Osinachi transferred money from his company, Moscow International Services Limited, to Eselebor for the purchase.
However, when Osinachi attempted to take possession of the land, he discovered that Eselebor had no valid title to transfer. Eselebor reportedly admitted that the properties had rival claimants and promised to provide alternative plots, but failed to fulfil the promise.
After efforts to recover his money proved unsuccessful, Osinachi petitioned the EFCC, which investigated the allegations and subsequently prosecuted Eselebor.
Reacting to the judgment, the EFCC’s Director of Criminal Litigation and prosecution counsel, Joshua Saidi, described the conviction as a deterrent to land racketeering and the use of fake documents to defraud unsuspecting buyers.
“This judgment has served as a deterrent to all these land racketeering, you know, these fraudsters, parading fake documents, defrauding unsuspecting victims. You understand? In this case, the defendant is a staff of FCDA. He paraded fake documents. And the court was also not happy with that attitude. Where is the trust? Yes, where is the trust? That means you are not safe, I’m not safe.
You go to land, you want a genuine document, they give you all these fake papers, and at the end of the day, they scam you, they defraud you,” he said.
Saidi questioned the implications of the case for public confidence in government institutions, given the convict’s position as an FCDA employee.
“So, it’s very nice, to me, it’s a judgment that will act as deterrence because there is no gain in fraud. And this man is a staff of FCDA. You can only imagine how many people he would have scammed, if not because of this case. He would have gone scot-free”, he said.
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He passed his boundary