FCDA Staff Gets Seven Years for Land Fraud

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

Judge A.O. Musa found Mr Eselebor guilty on all five charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). This was confirmed in a statement by the commission’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, on Wednesday.

The court sentenced Mr Eselebor to seven years for counts one, two, and three. He received two years for counts four and five, with all sentences to run at the same time and without any option of fine.

The case started when Mr Eselebor sold two plots of land, known as Plots 383 and 424, in Kubwa District Central Annex, Abuja, to Moses Osinachi.

Mr Eselebor worked in the FCDA’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning. He claimed the plots were genuine even though he had no valid title to sell to the buyer.

The court heard that the two men lived close to each other and went to the same church. Mr Osinachi trusted Mr Eselebor partly because of their relationship and his job at the FCDA.

The prosecution said that Mr Eselebor used two fake documents with the names Yusuf Lawan and Adegoke Asiwaju to convince Mr Osinachi that the plots were real. When Mr Osinachi questioned these documents, Mr Eselebor assured him they were real.

Believing Mr Eselebor, Mr Osinachi transferred money from his company, Moscow International Services Limited, to Mr Eselebor for the plots.

Things fell apart when Mr Osinachi tried to take the land and found out that Mr Eselebor did not have a valid title to sell.

When Mr Osinachi confronted him, Mr Eselebor admitted he knew there were other people claiming the land. He promised to find other plots for Mr Osinachi but never did.

Mr Osinachi later asked for a refund but could not settle the issue. He then reported the matter to the EFCC, which investigated and took Mr Eselebor to court.

The case began in March 2021 with three counts of obtaining money under false pretences. The charges later increased to five, including two counts of using fake documents as real.

After the judgement, Joshua Saidi, the EFCC’s director of criminal litigation and prosecution lawyer, said this conviction should warn people who defraud property buyers with fake documents.

He also pointed out that Mr Eselebor used his job at the FCDA to gain the buyer’s trust.

“This judgement has served as a deterrent to all this land racketeering. These fraudsters parade fake documents and defraud unsuspecting victims,” Mr Saidi said.

This case comes at a time when there are growing worries over land fraud involving fake documents. In February, the Federal Capital Territory Administration canceled 485 Area Council land documents after they failed official checks. Some of these documents were found to be fake. The affected areas included 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 buying any land.