The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Apo, Abuja, has remanded a former Deputy Director of Highways at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Augustine Ojo Olowoniyan, alongside a surveyor, Sulaiman Abdulkadir Muhammed, of the Department of Highways and Planning, in connection with a N1,936,961,649 fraud case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the FCT High Court, Apo, Abuja, remanded the defendants pending the hearing and determination of their bail applications.
On March 19, 2025, the EFCC arraigned the defendants on a three-count charge relating to the alleged fraudulent diversion and misappropriation of public funds amounting to N1,936,961,649.00.
EFCC’s Case
According to the anti-graft agency, the alleged offence contravenes Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The funds were said to have been earmarked for the acquisition of titles for federal roads nationwide between March 4, 2019, and July 17, 2020, but were allegedly converted by the defendants for their personal use.
One of the counts in the charge reads: “That you, Augustine Ojo Olowoniyan, while serving as Deputy Director of Highways at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and Project Coordinator for the acquisition of titles for Federal Roads, and Sulaiman Abdulkadir Muhammed, while serving as Surveyor in the Department of Highways and Planning, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, between March 4, 2019, and October 21, 2019, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, used your office to confer corrupt advantage upon yourselves by diverting to your own use the sum of Eight Hundred and Seven Million, Fifty-Three Thousand Naira (N807,053,000.00), despite the funds being budgeted for the acquisition of titles for Federal Roads Nationwide, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.”
What Transpired in Court
At the resumption of proceedings, the defendants pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them by the court registrar.
- The prosecution counsel, Abba Muhammed, SAN, then requested a trial date and asked the court to remand the defendants in the correctional centre.
- But counsel for the first and second defendants, J.K. Kolawole and A.S.U. Garba, applied for an adjournment to enable them to file bail applications.
- They also urged the court to remand their clients in the EFCC’s custody pending the determination of their bail.
However, Justice Onwuegbuzie remanded the two defendants at Kuje Correctional Centre, while adjourning the matter until April 3, 2025, for the hearing of the bail application.
More Insights
In a related development, the EFCC disclosed that it also arraigned the first defendant, Augustine Ojo Olowoniyan, on a separate three-count charge before the same judge for allegedly diverting public funds worth N439,502,200.00 for personal use.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Augustine Ojo Olowoniyan, while serving as Deputy Director of Highways at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and Project Coordinator for the acquisition of titles for Federal Roads, and in such capacity entrusted with public funds, between March 27, 2019, and December 17, 2019, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, transferred the cumulative sum of Three Hundred and One Million, Nine Hundred and Ninety-Four Thousand, Two Hundred Naira (N301,994,200.00) to Chile Ushahemba (a staff member of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing) and received in cash the sum of Nineteen Million, One Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira (N19,140,000.00), which you converted to your own use, thereby committing a criminal breach of trust contrary to and punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Law.”
The defendant also pleaded not guilty to the charges, and Justice Onwuegbuzie fixed April 3, 2025, for the hearing of the bail application.
The accused stands innocent in the eyes of the law pending the final verdict on the case by the court.
