Ex-NEXIM Bank MD Robert Orya Jailed 490 Years Over N2.4bn Fraud

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced Roberts Orya, the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), to a cumulative 490-year imprisonment for his role in a N2.4 billion fraud, in a verdict delivered on Thursday, February 5, 2026.

Justice F.E. Messiri, presiding over the case at the FCT High Court, convicted Orya on 49 counts of criminal breach of trust, fraud, misappropriation, and related offences. The judge sentenced him to 10-year imprisonment on each count, which, taken together, amounts to a total of 490 years behind bars.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which prosecuted the case, confirmed the judgement in a statement shared on its official social media handle. The anti-graft agency said its prosecution counsel, Samuel Ugwuegbulam, successfully proved the charges against Orya.

“The EFCC, today, February 5, 2026, secured the conviction of Robert Orya, a former Managing Director, Nigerian Import Export Bank, NEXIM (2011–2016), for a fraud of about N2.4 billion,” the statement read.

The EFCC added, “Orya, who was prosecuted by EFCC’s Samuel Ugwuegbulam, was convicted by Justice F.E. Messiri of the FCT High Court, Abuja and sentenced to ten years imprisonment on each of the 49 count charges.”

Orya headed NEXIM Bank from 2011 to 2016, leading the institution responsible for financing and promoting Nigeria’s non-oil export sectors.

Investigations revealed that the accused allegedly used his position to misappropriate funds and unlawfully grant loans to entities that failed to repay them, resulting in significant financial loss to the bank.

Orya was first arraigned years earlier before Justice Messiri of the FCT High Court in Abuja on similar charges but consistently denied the allegations throughout the proceedings.