A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the interim forfeiture of ₦228.4 million linked to former Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji, to the Federal Government on allegations of money laundering.
Justice Emeka Nwite, ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), also directed the commission to publicize the order on its website and in Daily Trust newspaper, inviting interested parties to show cause within 14 days why the funds should not be permanently forfeited.
The motion, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/03/V/2025, was filed under Section 44(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006. It sought to freeze the funds domiciled in a Keystone Bank account held by Effdee Nigeria Limited, a company allegedly used to divert government funds during Orji’s tenure as governor.
The EFCC claimed that Effdee Nigeria Limited was part of a scheme involving Orji, members of his administration, and family to siphon Abia State funds through a network of bank accounts. Investigations revealed that the company received significant inflows from state agencies, with a balance of ₦228.4 million remaining in the account.
The anti-graft agency stated that a Keystone Bank official, Austin Akuma, acted as an intermediary in the transactions, coordinating cash withdrawals and delivering funds to a special adviser in the government house.
The EFCC argued that the funds were suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities and needed to be preserved to prevent dissipation while investigations and possible prosecutions continued.
Justice Nwite ruled that the application had merit and scheduled a compliance hearing for February 3, 2025.
Theodore Orji served as Abia State Governor for two terms and later represented Abia Central Senatorial District in the Nigerian Senate. The EFCC began investigating Orji and his associates following an intelligence report in 2016 and has since intensified efforts to recover alleged misappropriated funds.
