The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) made a significant move on Wednesday by arraigning a former Deputy Director at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Augustine Olowoniyan, along with Sulaiman Muhammed, a surveyor in the same ministry. The two were brought before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Apo, Abuja, on serious charges of fraud.
The defendants face a three-count charge related to the alleged diversion and misappropriation of public funds totaling a staggering N1,936,961,649.00. The funds were supposedly allocated for acquiring land titles for federal roads nationwide between March 4, 2019, and July 17, 2020. However, the EFCC claims the money was funneled into the defendants’ accounts.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Augustine Ojo Olowoniyan, while serving as Deputy Director Highways, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, and Project Coordinator for the acquisition of titles for Federal Roads, and Suleiman Abdulkadir Muhammed, while serving as Surveyor of the Department of Highways and Planning, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, between March 4, 2019, and October 21, 2019, used your office to confer corrupt advantage upon yourselves by misappropriating N807,053,000.00 meant for federal roads.”
In a related charge, Olowoniyan is also accused of diverting N439,502,200.00 for personal use. He allegedly transferred over N301 million to a fellow staff member and received a sum of N19 million in cash for himself.
The defendants pleaded not guilty when the charges were read. EFCC’s prosecution counsel, Abba Muhammed, SAN, requested a trial date and asked for the defendants to be remanded in custody. However, their defense lawyers applied for a short adjournment to allow them to file bail applications. The court has scheduled a hearing for April 3, 2025, to address the bail request, while the accused have been remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre.
The case has drawn attention due to the scale of the alleged corruption and the involvement of top-level officials in the Ministry of Works and Housing. As the trial progresses, many will be watching closely to see if the EFCC can prove its case and bring justice to the public funds that were reportedly misused.
This case further highlights the EFCC’s ongoing efforts to tackle corruption at high levels of government, with major implications for the country’s fight against financial crimes.
