The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday arraigned former Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji, his son Chinedum Orji, and three others before the Abia State High Court over alleged misappropriation of public funds amounting to ₦47 billion.
The other defendants in the case include Dr. Philip Nto, a former Abia State Commissioner of Finance; Obioma King, a government contractor; and Romas Madu, a former Director of Finance in Abia State.
They were arraigned before Justice Lilian Abai on a 16-count charge of conspiracy, theft, and illegal conversion of public funds meant for government projects.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accused the defendants of multiple financial misdeeds, including the misappropriation of ₦22.5 billion allocated for security votes between 2011 and 2015.
They were also alleged to have diverted ₦13 billion from a loan facility granted by Diamond Bank and illegally converted ₦12 billion from the Paris Club refund.
Additionally, the EFCC claimed the defendants misused ₦10.5 billion from a First Bank loan meant for Abia State and its local councils, and stole ₦2 billion from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) funds designated for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
During the proceedings, lead prosecutor Prof. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, requested that the charges be read aloud to the defendants for their plea. In response, all five defendants pleaded not guilty.
Defence counsel, including Bode Olanipekun, SAN (representing the first defendant), Chikaosulu Ojukwu, SAN (for the second defendant), K.I. Oleh, Esq., Okey Amechi, SAN, and Isaac Anya, Esq., filed bail applications on behalf of their clients. The prosecution did not oppose the bail requests but urged the court to exercise discretion in setting bail conditions.
After a brief recess, Justice Abai granted bail to the defendants and adjourned the trial to June 18 and 19, 2025.