Abuja High Court sentences FCDA worker Kingsley Eselebor to 25 years in jail for selling fake land papers to his neighbor.
High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced a worker with the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Kingsley Eselebor, to 25 years in prison for selling fake land papers and collecting money under false promises.
Justice A.O. Musa delivered the judgment on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, after the court found Eselebor guilty on five serious criminal charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The judge ordered that Eselebor serve 7 years in prison for each of counts one, two, and three, and two years in prison for each of counts 4 and 5.
The court ordered all the prison terms to run at the same time, meaning the convict will serve a total of seven years in prison without any option to pay a fine.
Trouble started for the FCDA worker, who served in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, after he collected money from a buyer named Moses Osinachi for 2 plots of land marked as Plot 383 and Plot 424, located at Kubwa District Central Annex in Abuja. Despite taking the money, Eselebor had no real legal papers or right to sell those lands to anyone.
The victim trusted Eselebor because both men lived in the same neighborhood as neighbors and attended the same church together.
To make the land deal look real, Eselebor presented fake land transfer papers carrying the names Yusuf Lawan and Adegoke Asiwaju, convincing Osinachi that the land was genuine. Osinachi paid the full amount through his company, Moscow International Services Limited.
The victim only found out that he had been tricked when he tried to take over the lands and realized that Eselebor had no right over them.
When confronted, Eselebor admitted that he knew other people were fighting over the lands, and he promised to give Osinachi other plots, but he failed to fulfill the promise or refund the money.
After trying unsuccessfully to get his money back, Osinachi wrote a petition to the EFCC. The case was first brought to court in March 2021 with three charges, which were later increased to five charges covering forgery and fraud.
Reports confirmed the final sentence handed down by the court.
Reacting to the court judgment, EFCC Director of Criminal Litigation and Prosecution counsel, Joshua Saidi, stated:
“This judgment has served as a deterrent to all these land racketeering, you know, these fraudsters, parading fake documents, defrauding unsuspecting victims. You understand? In this case, the defendant is a staff of FCDA.”
He went on to state:
“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. You go to land, you want a genuine document, they give you all these fake papers, and at the end of the day, they scam you, they defraud you.”
Saidi added:
“So, it’s very nice, to me, it’s a judgment that will act as deterrence because there is no gain in fraud. And this man is a staff of FCDA. You can only imagine how many people he would have scammed, if not because of this case. He would have gone scot-free.”
The EFCC warned members of the public to carry out thorough checks at the proper land registries before paying money for land or property in Abuja to avoid falling into the hands of fraudsters.
Jennifer Baba is a journalist, international news correspondent, and writer at Moderncrux, where she covers artificial intelligence, fintech, emerging technologies, global politics, and international affairs. Based in Nigeria, she is passionate about transforming complex global developments into clear, engaging stories that inform and inspire readers.
