An Abuja high court has sentenced Kinsley Eselebor, a staff member of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), to 25 years’ imprisonment for defrauding a land buyer with forged documents.
A.O. Musa, the presiding judge, delivered the judgement on
Wednesday after finding Eselebor guilty of all five counts brought against him
by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The judge sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment on
counts one, two, and three, and two years on counts four and five. The
sentences are to run concurrently, without the option of a fine.
Eselebor, who worked in the FCDA’s department of urban and
regional planning, was accused of defrauding Moses Osinachi of money paid for
two plots of land at Kubwa District Central Annex, Abuja.
The plots, identified as 383 and 424, were presented to
Osinachi as genuine, although Eselebor had no title to transfer to him.
According to evidence presented in court, Osinachi and
Eselebor were neighbours and attended the same church.
Their relationship, coupled with Eselebor’s employment with
the FCDA, reportedly strengthened the buyer’s confidence in the transaction.
The court heard that Eselebor presented two conveyance
documents bearing the names Yusuf Lawan and Adegoke Asiwaju to convince
Osinachi that the properties were genuine.
When Osinachi sought further verification, Eselebor
allegedly assured him of their authenticity, citing his position as an FCDA
staff member.
Based on the assurances, Osinachi transferred money from his
company, Moscow International Services Limited, to Eselebor for the purchase of
the plots.
The transaction ran into difficulty when Osinachi attempted
to take possession of the properties and discovered that Eselebor had no valid
title to transfer to him.
When confronted, Eselebor reportedly admitted that he knew
the plots had rival claimants and promised to provide alternative properties.
However, he failed to fulfil the promise.
Osinachi subsequently demanded a refund, but the dispute
remained unresolved as Eselebor’s explanations allegedly continued to change.
The buyer then petitioned the EFCC, which investigated the complaint and
arraigned the FCDA staff member.
The charge was initially filed in March 2021 with three
counts of obtaining money under false pretences. It was later amended to five
counts, with the additional charges relating to the use of forged documents as
genuine.
Reacting to the judgement, Joshua Saidi, the EFCC’s director
of criminal litigation and prosecution counsel, said the conviction would deter
land racketeering and the use of forged documents to defraud property buyers.
Saidi expressed concern that Eselebor had allegedly used his
position in the FCDA to gain the buyer’s trust.
“This judgment has served as a deterrent to all these land
racketeering, you know, these fraudsters, parading fake documents, defrauding
unsuspecting victims,” he said.
“In this case, the defendant is a staff of FCDA. He paraded
fake documents. And the court was also not happy with that attitude. Where is
the trust? Yes, where is the trust? That means you are not safe, I’m not safe.”
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