A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja has sentenced Robert Orya, the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), to 490 years imprisonment after convicting him on multiple counts of financial crime involving about N2.4 billion.
Justice F. E. Messiri delivered the judgment on Thursday, February 5, 2026, after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) successfully prosecuted Orya on 49 separate charges related to fraud, abuse of office, and financial misconduct.
In a statement released by the EFCC, it was confirmed that Orya was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for each charge, amounting to a cumulative 490-year jail term.
According to court filings, the offences took place during Orya’s tenure as NEXIM Managing Director from 2011 to 2016, when he allegedly abused his position to misappropriate significant funds belonging to the institution.
The EFCC’s prosecution counsel, Samuel Ugwuegbulam, led the case against Orya, presenting evidence that convinced the judge of the former bank boss’s guilt on all counts.
This sentence is one of the most severe handed down in recent years for a corruption case involving a former high-ranking official of a federal financial institution, underscoring the anti-graft agency’s increased focus on accountability and deterring financial crime in the management of public funds.