Theodore Orji. |
The
immediate past Governor of Abia State, Senator Theodore Orji, was earlier today
interrogated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, The PUNCH can
exclusively report.
It
was learnt that Orji, who was governor from 2007 to 2015, arrived at the EFCC
office in Abuja, along with his lawyer, in a cream long-sleeve Niger Delta
outfit popularly referred to as ‘senator.’
Orji,
who represents Abia-Central senatorial district at the National Assembly, was
invited over allegations that he mismanaged about N27bn.
The
invitation, it was learnt, was sequel to a series of petitions written against
the former governor shortly after he left office in 2015.
The
EFCC was said to have commenced investigation soon after, but was waiting for
enough evidence before inviting him.
Among
the allegations levelled against the former governor was that he diverted
billions of naira disbursed to Abia State by the Central Bank of Nigeria for
Small and Medium Enterprise.
The
lawmaker was also alleged to have diverted money from the Ecological Fund
account, which should have been used in tackling erosion and other disasters
peculiar to the state.
The
ex-governor allegedly diverted money from the Abia State Oil Producing
Development Area Commission, an agency of government set up for the development
of the oil producing areas in Abia State
Orji
allegedly used the funds to buy properties in Abia, Port Harcourt and Abuja,
some of which the EFCC is planning to seize.
It
was learnt that officials from the Office of the Attorney-General of the
Federation, the Central Bank of Nigeria, commercial banks and other agencies
had been invited by the EFCC to make statements on the governor’s case.
As
of the time of filing this report, he was still said to be at the Commission
making statements.
When
contacted on the telephone, the acting spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Tony
Orilade, did not respond to calls.
In
a text message, however, he said, “Yes. It is true that we have the former Abia
governor with us.
“But
I cannot say more than that. When it is time to press charges, we shall do that
and the story will be in the media.”
From
“The Punch”.
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