The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has sentenced former Managing Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Robert Orya, to a cumulative 490 years in prison after finding him guilty of massive financial fraud running into billions of naira.
Justice F.E. Messiri convicted Orya on 49 separate counts, handing down 10 years’ imprisonment on each count over the diversion of about ₦2.4 billion.
Okay News gathered that the prosecution was handled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which secured the conviction after a lengthy trial.
The court held that the offences were proven beyond reasonable doubt, stressing that the scale of the fraud reflected a serious abuse of public trust within a key financial institution meant to support Nigeria’s non-oil export sector. The judgment ranks among the most severe sentences handed to a former banking chief in recent years.
Orya served as NEXIM’s managing director between 2009 and 2016, a tenure that initially drew praise for attempted reforms but later became overshadowed by allegations of financial misconduct. The conviction reinforces ongoing anti-corruption efforts and signals tougher consequences for financial crimes involving public institutions.
