The Economic and Financial Crimes Commissionyesterday arraigned a former Governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji and four others before Justice Lilian Abai of the Abia State High Court sitting in Umuahia on a 16- count charge of money laundering.
The ex-governor will face trial with his son, Chinedum Orji and others for alleged N60.85billion.
Chinedum Orji was the 7th Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly.
Others on trial are Dr. Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma and Romanus K. Madu.
The suspects were accused of stealing N22.5 billion security votes; N12 billion Paris Club refund; N13 billion loan facility from the defunct Diamond Bank; another N10.5 billion loan from First Bank; N2 billion for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) funds; and N850 million allocated to ecological projects.
The said funds were allegedly stolen from the state coffers between 2011 and 2015.
All the suspects were granted bail.
The charges are as follows:
“That you Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji, Engr. Chinedum Orji, Dr. Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma and Romanus K. Madu, sometime in 2015 in Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired among yourselves to commit unlawful acts to wit, stealing and conversion of the sum of N2billion being the proceeds of the Central Bank of Nigeria Funds for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) allocated to Abia State and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provision of Section 516 and 516(A) of the Criminal Code Law of Abia State.
“That you Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji, Engr. Chinedum Orji, Dr. Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma and Romanus K. Madu sometime in 2015 in Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court stole and converted the sum of N2billion being the proceeds ‘of the Central Bank of Nigeria Funds for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) allocated to Abia State and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provision of Section 390 (5) of the Criminal Code Law of Abia State.
“That you Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji, Engr. Chinedum Orji, Dr. Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma and Romanus K. Madu sometime in 2015 in Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court committed unlawful acts of official corruption and abuse of the office to the tune of N2billion being the proceeds of the Central Bank of Nigeria Funds for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) allocated to Abia State and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provision of Sections 98 and 104of the Criminal Code Law of Abia State.
“That you Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji, Engr. Chinedum Orji, Dr. Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma and Romanus K. Madu sometime in 2013 in Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired among yourselves to commit unlawful acts to wit stealing and conversion of N850million being the funds allocated to Abia State for ecological projects and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provision of Section 516 and 516(A) of the Criminal Code Law of Abia State.
“That you Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji, Engr. Chinedum Orji, Dr. Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma and Romanus K. Madu sometime in 2013 in Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court committed unlawful acts of stealing and conversion of N850million being the funds allocated to Abia State for ecological projects and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provision of Section 390 (5) of the Criminal Code Law of Abia State.
“That you Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji, Engr. Chinedum Orji, Dr. Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma and Romanus K. Madu sometime in 2014-2015 in Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court committed unlawful acts of official corruption and abuse of the office to the tune N850 million being the funds allocated to Abia State for ecological projects and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provision of Sections 98 and 104of the Criminal Code Law of Abia State.
“That you Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji, Engr. Chinedum Orji, Dr. Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma and Romanus K. Madu sometime in 2011 and 2015 in Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired among yourselves to commit unlawful act to wit, stealing and conversion to the tune of N22.5billion being the funds allocated to the Abia State Government as security votes and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provision of Sections 516 and 516(A) of the Criminal Code Law of Abia State.
“That you Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji, Engr. Chinedum Orji, Dr. Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma and Romanus K. Madu sometime in 2011 and 2015 in Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court stole and converted N22.5 billion being the funds allocated to the Abia State government as security votes and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provision of Section 390 (5) of the Criminal Code Law of Abia State.
“That you Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji, Engr. Chinedum Orji, Dr. Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma and Romanus K. Madu sometime in 2011 and 2015 in Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired among yourselves to commit unlawful act to wit, stealing and conversion to the tune of N12 billion being the funds due to the Abia State Government from Paris Club Refund and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provision of Sections 516 and 516(A) of the Criminal Code Law of Abia State.
“That you Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji, Engr. Chinedum Orji, Dr. Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma and Romanus K. Madu, sometime between 2010 and 2011 in Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court stole and converted a sum of N12billion being the funds due to Abia State from the Paris Club Refund and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provisions of Section 390 (5) of the Criminal Code Law of Abia State.
“That you Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji, Engr. Chinedum Orji, Dr. Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma and Romanus K. Madu sometime in 2015 in Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court committed unlawful acts to wit, stealing and conversion of the sum of N13billion being the proceeds of the loan facility granted by the then Diamond Bank Plc to the Abia State Government and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 390 (5) of the Criminal Code Law of Abia State.
“That you Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji, Engr. Chinedum Orji, Dr. Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma and Romanus K. Madu sometime in 2015 in Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court committed unlawful acts of official corruption and abuse of the office to the tune of N13billion being the proceeds of the loan facility granted by the then Diamond Bank Pic to the Aba State Government; and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provisions of Sections 98 and 104 of the Criminal Code Law of Abia State.
“That you Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji, Engr. Chinedum Orji, Dr. Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma and Romanus K. Madu sometime in 2012 in Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court committed unlawful acts to wit, stealing and conversion of the sum of N10.5 billion proceeds of the loan facility granted by First Bank Plc for the benefits of the Abia State Government and the Abia State Local Government Councils and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provisions of Sections 98 and 104 of the Criminal Code Law of Abia State.
“That you Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji, Engr. Chinedum Orji, Dr. Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma and Romanus K. Madu sometime in 2015 in Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court committed unlawful acts of official corruption and abuse of the office to the tune of the sum of N10.5billion being the proceeds of the loan facility granted by First Bank Plc for the benefits of the Abia State Government and the Abia State Local Government Councils and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provisions of Sections 98 and 104 of the Criminal Code Law of Abia State.
“That you Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji, Engr. Chinedum Orji, Dr. Phillip Nto, Onwumene King Obioma and Romanus K. Madu sometime in 2015 in Umuahia, Abia State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court committed unlawful acts of official corruption and abuse of the office to the tune of the sum of N10.5billion being the proceeds of the loan facility granted by First Bank Plc for the benefits of the Abia State Government and the Abia State Local Government Councils and thereby committed an offence contrary to the provisions of Sections 98 and 104 of the Criminal Code Law of Abia State.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Orji was governor of Abia State from 2007 to 2015 and senator representing Abia Central from 2015 to 2023.
During the proceedings, the defence counsel, Bode Olanipekun, representing the former governor; Chikaosulu Ojukwu, representing the second defendant; K.I. Oleh, Okey Amechi, and Isaac Anya moved the bail applications of their clients.
Kemi Pinheiro, counsel to the EFCC, did not object to the defendants’ bail applications.
Lilian Abai, the trial judge, granted the bail applications and adjourned the case to June 18 and 19, 2025 for trial.
In January, a federal high court in Abuja granted the interim forfeiture of N228.4 million linked to Orji over alleged money laundering.
