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On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, Udom Emmanuel, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, found himself in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following his response to a summons linked to suspected financial improprieties, including money laundering and the misdirection of public resources, as outlined in a formal complaint lodged by the Network Against Corruption and Trafficking (NACAT).
The NACAT submission contends that Emmanuel, during his eight-year tenure, oversaw the allocation of N3 trillion from the Federation Account, yet bequeathed the state a debt burden of N500 billion alongside N300 billion in unresolved commitments for ongoing initiatives, with an additional N700 billion purportedly untraceable—a litany of fiscal discrepancies now under scrutiny.
The EFCC has embarked on a rigorous examination of these claims, subjecting Emmanuel to intensive questioning as part of an inquiry that remains active and multifaceted, casting a spotlight on his stewardship of Akwa Ibom’s coffers.
Efforts to secure a statement from EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale proved unavailing, as he remained inaccessible at the time of reporting, leaving official confirmation pending amid the unfolding probe.
Emmanuel held the governorship of Akwa Ibom from 2015 to 2023 under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a period now shadowed by allegations that have thrust him into the anti-corruption agency’s crosshairs.
In a related development, the EFCC brought charges against Theodore Orji, a former Governor of Abia State, and four associates before the Abia State High Court on Friday, February 28, 2025, accusing them of orchestrating the misappropriation of approximately N47 billion—an action underscoring the agency’s intensifying campaign against financial malfeasance among Nigeria’s political elite.
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Apart from the former governor, the other four defendants are his son, Engineer Chinedum Orji; a former Commissioner of Finance for Abia State Dr. Philip Nto; a government contractor Obioma King; and a former Director of Finance for Abia State, Romas Madu.
They were all arraigned before the Chief Judge, Justice Lilian Abai on a 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy to steal and convert billions of naira meant for various government programmes.
The allegations against Theodore Orji and his four co-defendants center on the purported misallocation of N22.5 billion designated for security expenditures between 2011 and 2015, alongside the alleged extraction of N13 billion from a credit arrangement secured from Diamond Bank, and the unauthorized redirection of N12 billion derived from the Paris Club reimbursement—a trio of charges painting a portrait of substantial financial impropriety.
Further accusations assert that the group diverted N10.5 billion from a loan facility extended by First Bank, originally intended to bolster the fiscal operations of the Abia State government and its local jurisdictions, in addition to siphoning N2 billion from Central Bank of Nigeria reserves earmarked for the support of small and medium-sized enterprises, amplifying the scope of the alleged malfeasance.
Each of the five individuals entered pleas of not guilty before the Abia State High Court, securing their release on bail, with proceedings deferred to June 18 and 19, 2025, when the trial is scheduled to commence—a pivotal juncture in a case that underscores Nigeria’s ongoing battle against high-level fiscal misconduct.
