The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a former Deputy Director of Highways at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Augustine Ojo Olowoniyan, along with Sulaiman Abdulkadir Muhammed, a surveyor from the Department of Highways and Planning, on charges of alleged financial misappropriation.
The duo appeared before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Feral Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Apo, Abuja, facing a three-count charge related to the alleged diversion of public funds amounting to N1,936,961,649.00 (One Billion, Nine Hundred and Thirty-Six Million, Nine Hundred and Sixty-One Thousand, Six Hundred and Forty-Nine Naira).
The charges stem from allegations that funds earmarked for acquiring titles for federal roads between March 4, 2019, and July 17, 2020, were misappropriated for personal use.
According to the EFCC, the alleged offense violates Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000. One of the charges states that Olowoniyan and Muhammed while serving in their respective capacities, used their positions to confer a corrupt advantage on themselves by diverting N807,053,000.00 meant for federal road title acquisitions to personal use.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. Following their plea, EFCC’s prosecution counsel, Abba Muhammed, SAN, requested a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendants in a correctional facility.
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However, the defence counsel, J.K. Kolawole and A.S.U. Garba, sought a short adjournment to file bail applications, requesting that their clients be held in EFCC custody in the meantime.
Justice Onwuegbuzie adjourned the matter to April 3, 2025, for the hearing of the bail applications and ordered the defendants to be remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre.
Additional Charges Against Olowoniyan
In a separate case before the same judge, the EFCC arraigned Olowoniyan on another three-count charge for allegedly diverting an additional N439,502,200.00 in public funds.
One of the charges accuses him of transferring N301,994,200.00 to Chile Ushahemba, a staff member of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, and personally receiving N19,140,000.00 in cash, which was allegedly converted to personal use.
This act, according to the EFCC, constitutes a criminal breach of trust under Section 315 of the Penal Code.
Olowoniyan also pleaded not guilty to these charges. The court set April 3, 2025, as the date for the bail hearing in this matter as well.
