A former governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji, and his son, Chinedum, are facing 16 charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the alleged misappropriation of N47 billion.
The EFCC arraigned Orji, his son, and three others—former Commissioner of Finance Dr. Philip Nto, government contractor Obioma King, and former Director of Finance Romas Madu—before the Abia State High Court on Friday.
Breakdown of the Allegations
According to the EFCC, Orji and the other defendants misused state funds between 2011 and 2015. The charges against them include:
– N22.5 billion allegedly misappropriated from security votes.
– N13 billion taken from a loan granted by the now-defunct Diamond Bank.
– N12 billion illegally converted from the Paris Club refund.
– N10.5 billion diverted from a First Bank loan meant for state and local government projects.
– N2 billion allegedly taken from a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) fund meant for small and medium enterprises.
The EFCC claims the accused officials abused their positions to divert public money for personal gain.
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Defendants Plead Not Guilty
When the charges were read in court, all the defendants pleaded not guilty. Their lawyers, including senior advocates Bode Olanipekun, Chikaosulu Ojukwu, K.I. Oleh, Okey Amechi, and Isaac Anya, filed bail applications on their behalf.
The lead EFCC prosecutor, Prof. Kemi Pinheiro, did not oppose the bail requests.
After a brief recess, the Chief Judge of Abia State, Justice Lilian Abai, granted bail to all the defendants. The case was adjourned to June 18 and 19, 2025, for trial.