FCDA official sentenced to 25 years for land fraud with forged documents

The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has sentenced a staff member of the Federal Capital Development Authority, Kinsley Eselebor, to 25 years in prison for obtaining money under false pretences and using forged documents to defraud a land buyer, Sahara Reporters reports.

Justice A.O. Musa delivered the judgment on Wednesday after finding Eselebor guilty on all five counts brought by the EFCC, sentencing him to seven years each on counts one to three and two years each on counts four and five, all to run concurrently without an option of a fine.

The prosecution established that Eselebor, who worked in the FCDA’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning, defrauded Moses Osinachi of money paid for two plots of land at Kubwa District Central Annex, Abuja, despite having no valid title to the properties. Evidence showed Osinachi and Eselebor were neighbours and church members, with Eselebor allegedly using forged conveyance documents and his FCDA position to assure Osinachi the plots were genuine.

When Osinachi later attempted to take possession, he discovered Eselebor had no valid title, and his demands for a refund went unresolved before he petitioned the EFCC.

Reacting to the verdict, EFCC’s Director of Criminal Litigation, Joshua Saidi, described the conviction as a deterrent to land racketeering. “This judgment has served as a deterrent to all these land racketeering… Where is the trust? That means you are not safe, I’m not safe,” Saidi said.