A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Export-Import (NEXIM) Bank, Robert Orya, to a total of 490 years imprisonment following his conviction for a ₦2.4 billion fraud.
The Judgment
The ruling was delivered on Thursday, February 5th, 2026, by Justice F.E. Messiri. The court found Orya guilty on all 49 counts of financial misconduct brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The charges against him included:
- Criminal breach of trust
- Impersonation
- Misappropriation of funds
- Official corruption
- Fraud and abuse of office
Justice Messiri sentenced Orya to 10 years imprisonment for each of the 49 counts. Crucially, the court ordered that the sentences are to run consecutively, resulting in a cumulative jail term of 490 years.
Case Background
Robert Orya served as the Managing Director of NEXIM Bank between 2011 and 2016. According to the EFCC’s lead counsel, Samuel Ugwuegbulam, Orya abused his position to orchestrate a fraudulent scheme:
- Fictitious Company: He incorporated a company called Luxurium Leisure Services Limited using fictitious names and identities without the consent of the individuals involved.
- Illegal Loans: He approved and disbursed loans totaling over ₦1.36 billion to this company. These loans remained unpaid for years.
- Total Fraud: The EFCC stated that this scheme was part of a wider fraud estimated at approximately ₦2.4 billion.
Trial Timeline
Orya was first arraigned by the anti-graft agency on November 25, 2021. He had pleaded “not guilty” at the start of the trial, which lasted over four years before reaching this final verdict.
Note on “Consecutive” vs. “Concurrent”: There was significant discussion among readers on the forum regarding the “consecutive” nature of the sentence. In Nigerian law, sentences usually run concurrently (at the same time), which would have meant 10 years total. However, the court specifically ordered them to run consecutively (one after the other), leading to the 490-year total, effectively making it a life sentence.