Abuja Land Scandal: FCDA Staff Convicted Over Fake Documents, Sentenced To 25 Years

A staff member of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Kinsley Eselebor, has been sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment by the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja for obtaining money under false pretences and using forged documents to defraud a land buyer.

Justice A.O. Musa delivered the judgment on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, after finding Eselebor guilty of all five charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

According to Bush Radio Academy, the court sentenced Eselebor to seven years’ imprisonment each on counts one, two and three, while counts four and five attracted two years each. However, the judge ordered that all the sentences run concurrently, meaning the convict will serve them at the same time. The court also ruled that the sentences would be served without an option of a fine.

During the trial, the prosecution established that Eselebor, who worked in the FCDA’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning, collected money from Moses Osinachi for the purchase of two plots of land at Kubwa District Central Annex in Abuja.

The plots, identified as Plots 383 and 424, were allegedly presented to Osinachi as genuine properties available for sale, despite Eselebor not having the legal title to sell them.

The case was initially filed in March 2021 with three counts bordering on obtaining money under false pretences. The charges were later amended to five, with the first three relating to obtaining money under false pretences and the remaining two concerning the use of forged documents as genuine to convince the buyer that the land transactions were legitimate.

After considering the evidence presented during the trial, Justice Musa convicted Eselebor on all five counts. The court directed that the sentences run concurrently because the offences arose from the same transaction.

The conviction marks a successful prosecution by the EFCC in its efforts to tackle fraud involving land transactions and the use of forged documents.