The immediate past Governor of Abia State, Senator Theodore Orji, was on Wednesday interrogated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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.
Orji, who represents Abia-Central senatorial district in the Senate, was invited over the allegations that he mismanaged about N27bn.
The invitation, it was learnt, was sequel to a series of petitions against the former governor shortly after he left office in 2015.
Among the allegations levelled against the lawmaker was that he diverted billions of naira disbursed to Abia State by the Central Bank of Nigeria for Small and Medium Enterprise.
He 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 set up by the government 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 press time around 7.30pm, Orji was said to be at the commission making statements.
Acting spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Tony Orilade, in a text message, 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 would be in the media.” – Punch.
