Former Governor Breaks Silence As He Loses N228.4m to Nigerian Govt
- Former Abia State Governor, Senator Theodore Orji, has reacted to reports that the court ordered the forfeiture of N228.4 million linked to him
- The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) reportedly obtained an ex-parte order to freeze the funds, alleging they were proceeds of unlawful activities
- Interestingly, Senator Orji has demanded an apology for what he described as misleading and embarrassing reports
Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements
Abia state, Umuahia - Senator Theodore Orji, a former governor of Abia state, has dismissed as misleading, media reports that a Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered interim forfeiture of N228.4 million traced to him.
Source: Facebook
Legit.ng reported that on Wednesday, January 8, Theodore Orji was ordered to temporarily forfeit N228.4 million linked to his account to the federal government.
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the temporary freezing and forfeiture following an ex-parte order filed by the EFCC.
The EFCC alleged that the funds were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities, including conspiracy, abuse of office, and diversion of public funds.
Orji denies court-ordered forfeiture of N228.4 million
In a swift reaction to the development, the former governor who said he was embarrassed by the trending report, credited to the News Agency of Nigeria, explained that he had no pending suit before any court on the said subject.
Senator Orji further asserted that the persons said to have been arrested in connection with the case were never his Aides nor business allies as erroneously reported in the said report.
As reported by Vanguard, the former governor who spoke through his Aide, Hon. Ifeanyi Umere, expressed shock that a reputable news agency like NAN could commit such a costly error of fact.
He said:
"Our attention has been drawn to a media media report, claiming that a federal high court in Abuja has made an order of interim freezing and forfeiture of the sum of over 228.4m linked to Senator TA Orji to the Federal Government on allegations of money laundering.
"This is to notify the general public that the said report is false and misleading as there is no pending case in any court involving Senator TA Orji and honourable Erondu Uchenna Erondu, a former Special Adviser to ex-Governor Okezie Ikpeazu with EFCC as contained in the news report.
"Once again, the said report about a purported court order allegedly freezing the sum of N228.4 million has nothing to do with former Governor Theodore Orji."
Read more about the EFCC here:
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- Alleged N1.3 trillion fraud: EFCC arrests Delta accountant-general over link to Okowa
- EFCC vs Yahaya Bello: Federal High Court grants ex-Kogi gov N500m bail, gives condition
Tinubu speaks on fighting corruption
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu has explained that the best way to fight corruption is to tackle its root causes.
At a media chat, the president stressed the importance of improving the standard of living, providing fair wages, and making basic amenities available to the people as a means of fighting corruption.
Tinubu also stressed that one of the roles of the EFCC was to block the loopholes in government agencies and parastatals.
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Source: Legit.ng
