FCDA employee convicted over Kubwa land fraud; prison terms to run concurrently
An employee of the Federal Capital Development Authority has been convicted over a Kubwa land transaction and given concurrent prison terms, the longest being seven years, according to a Premium Times report citing the EFCC.
Justice A.O. Musa of the FCT High Court reportedly delivered the judgment on October 28, finding the defendant, identified by the surname Eselebor, guilty on five counts.
The reported sentences were seven years each on three counts and two years each on the remaining two, without an option of fine. Although the individual terms total 25 years, the court reportedly directed that they run together rather than consecutively.
Transaction involved two Kubwa plots
The case concerned money paid by Moses Osinachi for Plots 383 and 424 at Kubwa District Central Annex, according to TheCable’s account.
Eselebor, who reportedly worked in the FCDA’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning, presented the plots as genuine despite having no valid title to transfer to the buyer, the report said.
The transaction unravelled when Osinachi attempted to take possession. Subsequent promises to provide alternative plots were reportedly unfulfilled, and the buyer petitioned the EFCC.
FCDA land-fraud conviction follows amended charges
TheCable reported that the case was initially filed in March 2021 with three counts of obtaining money under false pretences. It was later amended to five counts, including charges concerning the use of forged documents as genuine.
EFCC prosecution counsel Joshua Saidi described the conviction as a deterrent to fraudulent land transactions and raised concerns about the defendant’s institutional position helping him gain the buyer’s confidence.
The judgment and sentencing order were not directly inspected for this report.