COURT OF APPEAL UPHOLDS 490-YEAR SENTENCE FOR FORMER NEXIM BANK CHIEF

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed the conviction and 490-year prison sentence handed down to former Managing Director of the Nigeria Export-Import Bank, Robert Orya, over a N2.4bn fraud case. A three-member panel led by Justice Muhammed Danjuma dismissed Orya’s appeal, ruling that it lacked merit and upholding the earlier judgment of the Federal Capital Territory High Court.

Orya was convicted on 49 counts involving obtaining money by false pretences, forgery and advance fee fraud following his prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The Federal Capital Territory High Court had found him guilty on February 5, 2026, after the prosecution presented seven witnesses and the trial judge, Justice F.E. Messiri, concluded that the allegations had been proved beyond reasonable doubt.

Following the conviction, the trial court imposed a 10-year prison term on each of the 49 counts, bringing the total sentence to 490 years. However, the sentences were ordered to run concurrently. Orya subsequently approached the Court of Appeal seeking to overturn both his conviction and sentence, but the appellate court unanimously rejected his arguments and affirmed the judgment of the lower court.

The case dates back to 2021, when the EFCC arraigned Orya over alleged fraudulent transactions linked to loans disbursed by NEXIM Bank during his tenure. The former bank chief served as managing director between 2009 and 2016, having first been appointed by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua in August 2009 and later reappointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014.

With the latest ruling, the Court of Appeal has now upheld both the conviction and the 490-year sentence imposed by the FCT High Court. The decision represents another major victory for the EFCC in the long-running case and leaves the former NEXIM Bank managing director facing the concurrent prison terms arising from the 49-count conviction.