A group which says it is a voluntary association of concerned Abia citizens, Save Abia Initiative for Change (SAIC), has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), detailing how the erstwhile governor, Chief Theodore Orji, his wife, Mercy Odochi, their son, Chinedum (a.k.a Ikuku) and few of their cronies allegedly squandered N474 billion of Abia State funds between 2011 and this year.
In the petition marked SAIC/PET/001/15, and dated July 3, 2015, addressed to the Chairman of.....
EFCC, Mr Ibrahim Lamorde and titled, “How ex-governor T.A Orji squandered N474 billion of Abia State Government funds leaving an external debt of $35.9m (N8 billion)” and signed by 20 persons.
Orji was alleged to have frittered away Abia’s N474 billion into his pocket, that of his immediate family and few of his close pals who he used as conduit.
In the petition, SAIC said from 2011 to 2014, the Orji family especially Chindum, (said to be richer than any state in the country despite the fact he was doing nothing before his father became governor), created different avenues to siphon public funds into their private accounts with impunity.
According to the petitioners, the former governor’s alleged major source of loot were through loans from banks/refunds, funds siphoned through banks without purpose, illegal expenditures not backed by law and fraudulent practices in Abia State Pensions Board. Others were allegedly through excess crude oil, using ASOPADEC as conduit, Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), federal allocations including SURE-P, internal debt, ecological funds and CBN, SME funds.
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