The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has convicted and sentenced a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Roberts Orya, to 10 years imprisonment on each of 49 counts of fraud involving N2.4 billion.
Justice F. E. Messiri delivered the judgment on Thursday, February 5, 2026, finding Orya guilty of obtaining money by false pretences, forgery, and advance fee fraud. The sentences total 490 years but are to run concurrently, meaning he will serve 10 years in prison.
Orya was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2021 on charges related to fraudulent loan disbursements during his tenure. He pleaded not guilty, leading to a full trial where the prosecution called seven witnesses.
Prosecution counsel, Samuel Ugwuebulam, told the court that Orya abused his position to induce NEXIM Bank to release huge sums to companies under false pretences. One count alleged that on September 21, 2011, he induced the bank to pay N488 million to Treasuremix Construction Limited under the pretence that directors of Luxurium Leisure Services Limited were the beneficiaries—a claim known to be false.
A second count detailed a similar N630 million fraud in February 2013. The prosecution maintained the loan transactions were fraudulent, with companies used as fronts to siphon bank funds.
In his judgment, Justice Messiri held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. “The prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt,” the judge ruled before convicting Orya on all 49 counts.
The court noted the offences were serious breaches of trust, given NEXIM Bank’s strategic role in Nigeria’s economic development. Orya served as MD from 2009 to 2016, appointed first by President Umaru Yar’Adua and reappointed by President Goodluck Jonathan.
The conviction marks one of the most significant fraud cases involving a former chief executive of a federal financial institution in recent years, reaffirming the EFCC’s commitment to holding public officers accountable.
#EFCC #Court #Fraud #NEXIM #Nigeria #Corruption #Justice #BreakingNews