Man defrauds neighbour and fellow church member with forged land documents, ends up jailed 25 years

• An FCDA staff member, Kinsley Eselebor, has been convicted of defrauding his neighbour and fellow church member with forged Abuja land documents.

• He used his position at the Federal Capital Development Authority to convince the buyer that two plots in Kubwa were legitimate.

• An FCT High Court sentenced him to seven years in prison, with no option of a fine, after finding him guilty on five counts.

A staff member of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Kinsley Eselebor, has been jailed for defrauding his neighbour and fellow church member of money paid for two plots of land in Abuja, using forged documents.

Justice A.O. Musa of the FCT High Court, Abuja, found him guilty on all five counts on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, in a case brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He was sentenced to seven years each on counts one, two and three, and two years each on counts four and five, a total of 25 years, with no option of a fine. The terms run concurrently, which means the longest single term, seven years, is the most he will spend in prison.

The buyer, Moses Osinachi, is Eselebor's neighbour. The court heard that the two men worshipped at the same church, and that this relationship, along with Eselebor's job in the FCDA's Department of Urban and Regional Planning, strengthened Osinachi's confidence in the deal.

Eselebor offered him two plots, 383 and 424, at Kubwa District Central Annex. To back up the sale, he presented two conveyance documents bearing the names Yusuf Lawan and Adegoke Asiwaju.

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When Osinachi asked for further confirmation, Eselebor allegedly assured him the documents were genuine, relying on his position within the FCDA. Osinachi then transferred money from his company's account to complete the purchase.

The deal unravelled when Osinachi tried to take possession of the plots and found that Eselebor had no valid title to transfer. When confronted, Eselebor reportedly admitted he knew the properties had rival claimants and promised to find alternative plots.

The EFCC said that promise was never fulfilled.

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Osinachi demanded a refund, but the explanations he received kept changing. He then petitioned the EFCC, which investigated the complaint and arraigned Eselebor.

The charge was filed in March 2021 with three counts of obtaining money under false pretences, then amended to five. Counts one to three concerned false pretences, and counts four and five concerned the use of forged documents as genuine to convince the buyer that the plots were legitimate. That means the case took more than five years to reach a verdict.

EFCC prosecution counsel Joshua Saidi described the judgment as a deterrent to land racketeers and to those who use fake documents to defraud unsuspecting buyers.

Reports on the judgment did not state the amount involved.