Justice A.O. Musa of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has convicted and sentenced Kinsley Eselebor, a staff member of the Federal Capital Development Authority, to 25 years’ imprisonment for obtaining money under false pretences and using forged documents to defraud a land buyer.
The judgment was delivered on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. Eselebor, who worked in the FCDA’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning, was found guilty on all five counts preferred by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The court imposed seven years’ imprisonment on each of counts one, two and three, and two years’ imprisonment on each of counts four and five. All sentences are to run concurrently and without an option of fine.
The prosecution established that Eselebor defrauded Moses Osinachi of money paid for two plots of land at Kubwa District Central Annex, Abuja. The properties, identified as Plots 383 and 424, were presented to the petitioner as genuine despite Eselebor having no title to sell them.
The charge was initially filed in March 2021 with three counts of obtaining money under false pretences. It was later amended to five counts, with counts one to three relating to obtaining money under false pretences and counts four and five concerning the use of forged documents as genuine to convince the petitioner of the authenticity of the land.
According to the evidence, the petitioner and Eselebor were neighbours and worshipped in the same church. Their relationship, together with Eselebor’s position as an FCDA staff member, strengthened Osinachi’s confidence in the transaction. The court heard that Eselebor used two conveyance documents bearing the names Yusuf Lawan and Adegoke Asiwaju to persuade the petitioner that the properties were genuine.
Osinachi sought further confirmation of the authenticity of the plots, and Eselebor assured him that the documents were genuine, relying on his position within the FCDA. Based on these assurances, the petitioner transferred money from his company’s account, Moscow International Services Limited, to Eselebor for the purchase of the two plots.
The transaction later ran into difficulty when Osinachi attempted to take possession of the properties and discovered that Eselebor had no valid title to transfer to him. When confronted, Eselebor admitted that he knew the properties had rival claimants and promised to find alternative plots for the petitioner. The promise was not fulfilled. Osinachi subsequently demanded a refund of his money, but the matter remained unresolved as the explanations given by Eselebor continued to change. Dissatisfied with the development, he petitioned the EFCC, which investigated the allegations and subsequently arraigned Eselebor.
Reacting to the judgment, the EFCC’s Director of Criminal Litigation and Prosecution counsel, Joshua Saidi, described the conviction as a deterrent to individuals involved in land racketeering and the use of fake documents to defraud unsuspecting property buyers. Saidi expressed concern that the convict’s position as an FCDA employee had been used to inspire confidence in the fraudulent transaction.
By John James
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