A/Court Upholds 490-Year Jail Term For Ex-NEXIM Bank MD, Orya

The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, on Tuesday affirmed the conviction and sentence of a former Managing Director of Nigeria Export Import (NEXIM) Bank, Robert Orya.
The appellate court affirmed Orya’s conviction. He was found guilty by the FCT High Court on all 49 counts and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment on each count, totalling 490 years.
Daily Trust reports that the convict served as the Managing Director of NEXIM Bank between 2009 and 2016.
He was appointed to the position on August 14, 2009, by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and reappointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan on August 18, 2014.

After leaving office, the convict was arraigned in 2021 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on a 49-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretenses, forgery and advance fee fraud to the tune of N2.4 billion.
Orya was subsequently convicted and sentenced to 490 years’ imprisonment on February 5, 2026, by a Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, and the sentences are to run concurrently.
Dissatisfied with the judgement of Justice F.E. Messiri of the FCT High Court, the convict approached the appellate court for reprieve while demanding that his conviction be set aside.

Delivering their judgement, a three-man panel of the appellate court led by Justice Muhammed Danjuma ruled that the trial judge, Justice Messiri, was right, judging that the prosecution proved its case beyond every reasonable doubt.

Justice Danjuma, who led two other justices, Ntong Ntong and Ele Enenche, in a unanimous judgement, said, “I have considered all briefs filed by counsel and have gone through the record of the trial court and adopted it and the issues as formulated by this appellate court in resolving this appeal.

“I looked at each and every issue, and in my final analysis, all the issues formulated for the determination of this appeal are resolved in favour of the respondent and against the appellant. This appeal is devoid of any merit and is hereby dismissed.

“The judgement of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory delivered on February 5, 2026 in charge number FSC/SC/CS/487/2021 is hereby affirmed.”
(Daily trust)