Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured the conviction of Robert Orya, former Managing Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) between 2011 and 2016, on Thursday, February 5, 2026, for perpetrating a N2.4 billion fraud against the bank, sentencing him to 10 years imprisonment on each of 49 counts before Justice F.E. Messiri of the FCT High Court, Abuja.
Ex-NEXIM MD Robert Orya
Orya, prosecuted by EFCC counsel Samuel Ugwuegbulam, was found guilty of criminal breach of trust, impersonation, misappropriation, official corruption, fraud and abuse of office after abusing his position to siphon over N1.368 billion through sham loans granted to companies he controlled, including Luxurium Leisure Service Limited incorporated with names of fictitious persons and others procured without consent.
The court heard how Orya, on September 21, 2011, induced NEXIM to disburse N488 million to Treasure Mix Construction Limited under the false pretence that directors of Luxurium Leisure Services Limited applied for and benefited from the facility, a representation he knew to be false, thereby violating Section 1(1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006.
Similarly, on February 19, 2013, Orya orchestrated another fraudulent disbursement of N630 million to the same company using identical deceit, with the loans remaining unpaid years later despite his oversight role at the bank tasked with promoting Nigeria’s non-oil exports.
The journey to conviction began on November 25, 2021, when EFCC arraigned Orya before Justice Messiri on the 49-count charge; he pleaded not guilty, prompting prosecutor Ugwuegbulam to oppose bail citing Orya’s violation of administrative bail and late service of bail papers, leading the judge to remand him in EFCC custody pending a formal bail hearing initially set for November 29, 2021.
After years of rigorous prosecution marked by meticulous evidence of fraudulent loan inductions, impersonation of directors and misappropriation of public funds meant for export financing, Justice Messiri delivered the landmark judgment, imposing concurrent 10-year jail terms that underscore EFCC’s renewed anti-corruption push under President Donald Trump’s administration’s global financial integrity drive influencing Nigerian reforms.
EFCC’s success reaffirms its mandate to recover stolen public assets and deter economic saboteurs undermining institutions like NEXIM, established to bolster Nigeria’s trade competitiveness, with insiders noting the case’s ripple effects on banking sector accountability amid ongoing probes into similar export credit abuses.
The conviction sends a clear message to public officers that eras of impunity for diverting development funds have ended, as EFCC vows continued pursuit of high-profile grafters to restore investor confidence in Nigeria’s financial system racing towards digital and export-led growth.
