The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has quizzed the former Abia State Governor and the Senator representing Abia Central, Theodore Orji, following his alleged involvement in the diversion of about N55billion while he was the governor of the state.
Senator Orji was the Abia State Governor between 2007 and 2015 while he was later elected as a senator in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
Orji was said to have been quizzed alongside his son, Chinedum, by the operatives of the EFCC in Abuja.
Senator Orji was reportedly arrested on Thursday by the EFCC operatives at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja while his son was said to have honoured the EFCC’s invitation.
A top source with the commission also confided in Theideal that Orji was arrested by the EFCC operatives,following his alleged refusal to abide by the bail conditions granted to him by the commission.
The source added that Orji refused to return his passport, which was released to him on humanitarian grounds to enable him to travel to Dubai for medical treatment last year.
It was further gathered that Orji declined to honour EFCC’s invitation for further questioning when he returned from Dubai.
The source said, “Senator Orji has been under investigation over alleged misappropriation of about N55billion state funds during his tenure as governor of the state.
“The operatives are looking at the allegation that Orji received as much as N500 million as security vote monthly while he was governor for eight years while on another matter, the operatives are probing the claim that he might have diverted about N55 billion of state funds.
“The former governor is the architect of his own misfortune because he came to us and pleaded for the return of his international passport to enable him to travel for medical attention in Dubai.
“But almost one year after he returned from the medical trip, the former governor has pretended as if all was okay.
“He was arrested up by our operatives at the Abuja Airport and we have to treat him as someone who has been on our watch list for some time now.”
When contacted, the EFCC’s spokesperson, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the development but declined to give further details.
Theideal recalls that the EFCC had in 2018 accused Orji of alleged mismanagement of about N27billion during his tenure as Abia State Governor.
In one of the petitions filed against Orji by a group, “Fight Corruption: Save Nigeria Group,”before the EFCC in 2007, it was alleged that state funds were taken from excess crude revenue, ecological funds, as well as loans from FirstBank through the ministry of chieftaincy and local government affairs, and N4 billion from Diamond Bank.
Theideal further learnt that investigation was extended to his family members to ascertain the link and culpability over the alleged fraud.
Orji’s first son, Chinedum Orji Enyinnaya, who is also the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, has visited the EFCC headquarters to throw light on his involvement in the fraud.
Another source at the commission said, “A check on Chinedum Orji’s financial activities revealed that he had about 100 accounts in different banks, with over 80 per cent of the accounts still very active.
“The accounts which were both corporate and individual received so much deposit in cash without evidence of job or services rendered.”
