Tunde Bakare
Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Apo, Abuja on Thursday, April 3, 2025 fixed May 15, 2025 for the trial of former Deputy Director, Highways, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Augustine Ojo Olowoniyan, alongside a surveyor, Sulaiman Abdulkadir Muhammed of the Department of Highways and Planning.
They duo is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on a three-count charge, bordering on diversion and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of 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 fund was earmarked for the acquisition of titles for federal roads nationwide between March 4, 2019, and July 17, 2020, which the defendants allegedly converted to their personal use.
At Thursday’s proceedings, counsel to the first and second defendant, J.K. Kolawole and A.S.U. Garba, respectively reminded the court of pending applications of their clients and requested that the court admitted them to bail on liberal terms pending the determination of the case. In his objection, prosecution counsel, M.K Hussein drew the attention of the court to a counter-affidavit signed by Njoku Ekelechi, an investigator with the EFCC, accompanied with a written address, dated April 2, 2025 and urged the court to discontenance the bail application or impose bail terms and conditions that will ensure that the defendants appear in court for their trial.
Justice Onwuegbuzie admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N800, 000,000 (Eight Hundred Million Naira) with two sureties in like sum, who must be civil servants that are resident in Abuja. The sureties must write an undertaking to produce the defendants in court as and when due. In addition, the defendants must submit their passports to the court which will be verified by the prosecution.
The first defendant, Olowoniyan, who is standing another trial in the same court for an alleged N420million fraud was also admitted to another bail by the court in the sum of N400,000,000 (Four Hundred Million) with a surety in like sum, who must be a civil servant, resident in Abuja. The surety, the court held must write an undertaking to produce the defendant in court as and when due. In addition, the defendant must submit his passport with the court registrar.
Both matters were adjourned till May 15, 2025 for trial.