Court jails FCDA planning officer 25 years for defrauding Abuja land buyer

Justice A.O. Musa of the FCT High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, sentenced Kinsley Eselebor, a staff member of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), to 25 years' imprisonment for obtaining money under false pretences and using forged documents to defraud a land buyer, P.M. News reported.

Eselebor, who worked in the FCDA's Department of Urban and Regional Planning, was convicted on all five counts filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The court imposed seven years on each of counts one to three and two years on counts four and five, with the terms to run concurrently and no 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, identified as Plots 383 and 424. The plots were presented as genuine even though Eselebor held no title to sell them.

The charge was first filed in March 2021 on three counts of obtaining money under false pretences and was later amended to five counts, with counts four and five covering the use of forged documents as genuine. The court heard that Eselebor used two conveyance documents bearing the names Yusuf Lawan and Adegoke Asiwaju to convince the buyer that the properties were genuine.

According to the evidence, the petitioner and Eselebor were neighbours who worshipped at the same church, and their relationship together with Eselebor's position at the FCDA strengthened the buyer's confidence in the transaction. Osinachi transferred the money from his company's account, Moscow International Services Limited, then discovered during an attempt to take possession that Eselebor had no valid title to transfer.

Reacting to the judgment, EFCC director of criminal litigation and prosecution Joshua Saidi described the conviction as a deterrent to people involved in land racketeering and the use of fake documents to defraud unsuspecting property buyers.