EFCC arrests ex-Abia Gov Theodore Orji

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has picked up a former Governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji.

Orji governed the southeast state of Abia from 2007 to 2015.

His reign was littered with allegations of corruption, cronyism and nepotism. He currently represents Abia Central in the Senate.

Orji was intercepted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at around 10am on Thursday, August 19 and driven to the headquarters of the EFCC in Abuja, Premium Times reports.

The newspaper adds that he is currently being quizzed alongside his son, Chinedu, who is the current speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly.

Chinedu turned himself in after learning of his dad's arrest and was immediately detained.

Senator Orji's sons Chinedu and Ogbonna have been on the radar of the EFCC for alleged misappropriation of public funds and money laundering.

In 2020, the EFCC interrogated Orji and his sons over allegations that they diverted N521 billion of public funds.

The governor is also accused of mismanaging N2 billion in ecological funds and mismanagement of Sure-P funds.

A group of petitioners say Orji diverted "N383 billion revenue from the Federation Account, N55 billion Excess Crude revenue, N2.3 billion Sure-P revenue, N1.8 billion ecological funds, N10.5 billion loan, N12 billion Paris Club refund, N2 billion agricultural loan, and N55 billion ASOPADEC money while in office.”