A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has convicted and sentenced Robert Orya, former Managing Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), to a total of 490 years imprisonment for fraud.
Justice F.E. Messiri delivered the judgment on Thursday, February 5, 2026, finding Orya guilty on all 49 counts brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The charges, which included criminal breach of trust, misappropriation, and abuse of office, involved the fraudulent diversion of approximately N2.4 billion.
The court handed down a sentence of 10 years imprisonment on each of the 49 counts.
Orya was prosecuted by EFCC’s Samuel Ugwuegbulam.
Orya, who led NEXIM Bank from 2011 to 2016, was first arraigned before Justice Messiri on November 25, 2021.
His tenure was later marred by legal disputes and allegations of procedural abuses and irregularities in loan disbursements.
The EFCC announced the conviction in a statement posted on its official social media channels.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
