ex-Abia gov Orji, four others arraign over N60.85bn fraud by EFCC

Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) on Friday arraigned former Abia State Governor Theodore Orji and four others before the Umuahia Division of the state High Court over allegations of money laundering to the tune of N60.85 billion while he was in office. Mr Orji and his co-defendants, Chinedum Orji, Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma, and Romanus K. Madu, were arraigned before Justice Lilian Abai, who read the 16 money laundering charges against them.
The crimes they all pleaded not guilty to were allegedly committed between 2010 and 2015.
According to the charge sheet, the defendants are accused of conspiring to steal and divert N2 billion released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as funds for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) allocated to Abia State in 2015. In 2013, they allegedly stole N850 million in money allocated to Abia State for ecological projects, N22.5 billion being the funds allocated to the Abia State government as security votes, N13 billion in loan facility granted by the then Diamond Bank Plc to the Abia State government between 2011 and 2015.
Also, between 2010 and 2011, Mr Orji and his co-defendants allegedly laundered N12 billion in funds due to Abia State from the Paris Club Refund and N10.5 billion in proceeds of the loan facility granted by First Bank Plc to benefit Abia State and local government. Ms Abai granted the defendants bail after the counsel for the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro, did not oppose the application filed by their lawyer, Bode Olanipekun. She adjourned the case to June 18 and 19, 2025, for trial.