Court jails FCDA official seven years for defrauding land buyer

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja has sentenced a staff member of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Kinsley Eselebor, to seven years’ imprisonment for defrauding a land buyer with forged documents.

Trial judge A.O. Musa found Mr Eselebor guilty on all five counts brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), according to a statement from the commission’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, on Wednesday.

The court sentenced the convict 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 case arose from the sale of two plots of land, identified as Plots 383 and 424, in Kubwa District Central Annex, Abuja, to Moses Osinachi.

Mr Eselebor, who worked in the FCDA’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning, allegedly presented the plots as genuine properties despite having no valid title to transfer to the buyer.

Evidence before the court showed that the two men were neighbours and attended the same church. Mr Osinachi reportedly trusted Mr Eselebor partly because of their relationship and his position in the FCDA.

The prosecution stated that Mr Eselebor used two conveyance documents bearing the names Yusuf Lawan and Adegoke Asiwaju to convince Mr Osinachi that the plots were genuine. When the buyer questioned the documents, Mr Eselebor allegedly assured him that they were authentic.

Relying on those assurances, Mr Osinachi transferred money from the account of his company, Moscow International Services Limited, to Mr Eselebor for the purchase.

The transaction unravelled when Mr Osinachi tried to take possession of the land and discovered that Mr Eselebor had no valid title to transfer to him.

When confronted, Mr Eselebor reportedly admitted knowing that the properties had rival claimants and promised to provide alternative plots. He failed to do so.

Mr Osinachi subsequently demanded a refund but could not resolve the dispute. He later petitioned the EFCC, which investigated the matter and prosecuted Mr Eselebor.

The case was initially filed in March 2021 with three counts of obtaining money under false pretences. The charges were later expanded to five, including two counts relating to the use of forged documents as genuine.

Reacting to the judgement, Joshua Saidi, the EFCC’s director of criminal litigation and prosecution lawyer, said the conviction should serve as a warning to those who defraud property buyers with forged documents.

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He also expressed concern that Mr Eselebor had allegedly used his position as an FCDA employee to gain the buyer’s trust.

“This judgment has served as a deterrent to all this land racketeering, you know, these fraudsters, parading fake documents, defrauding unsuspecting victims,” Mr Saidi said.

The case comes amid wider concerns over the land fraud cases using forged documents. In February, the Federal Capital Territory Administration nullified 485 Area Council land documents after they failed official verification checks, with some found to be fake. The affected documents covered Bwari, Abuja Municipal Area Council and Kuje.

Property buyers can check ownership records and title status through the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) title-search service before completing a land transaction.