Tunde Bakare
The First Prosecuting Witness, PW1, William Abimbola, in the matter 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 on Monday, June 23, 2025 told Justice Jude Onwuegbu zie of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court Apo, how funds made for the ministry`s contract was siphoned.
The defendants were arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on alleged diversion and misappropriation 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 alleged offence is contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000. The funds were reportedly earmarked for the acquisition of titles for federal roads nationwide between March 4, 2019, and July 17, 2020, but were allegedly converted to their personal use.
During Monday`s proceedings, prosecuting counsel, Abba Mohammed, SAN informed the court that he filed additional proofs of evidence on June 4, 2025 and it has been served on the defendant.
Abimbola, a staff and compliance officer of United Bank of Africa, UBA, while being led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, testified on exhibit PW1E which contains the statement of transactions of the first defendant, where he revealed that on March 21, 2019, there was an inflow of N200,000 with narration from Federal Government of Nigeria. . Same date there were inflows of N300,000, N2,220,000, N917,000.00, N109,450,000.00, N3,750,400 and N4,662,000.00.
“In January 2019, there was inflow from the Federal government of Nigeria which was N2,130,000 and N4,530,000.00 , on January 30, 2019, there were similar transactions of N4,705,000 and N640,000 on March 15,20219. I saw transactions like N180,000.00. N278,369.00, N282,100.00, N1,809,950.00, N504,7000.00, N525,890,00, N581,600.00, N371,460.00, N297,000.00, N40,000.00, N249,500.00, N80,000.00 and N30,000”, he said.
Continuing “On April 4, 2019, there was an inflow of N20m, on April 16, 2019, there was an inflow of N4.9m and the other two are N4m each. On April 17, 2019 there were three inflows from the Federal government of Nigeria N35,108.00, N250,758.00 and N3,920,000.00.
On April 26, 2019, there were two credit inflows for N2, 208,000.00 and N200, 000. On May 2, 2019, there were inflows of N2,814,000.00, N1,066,000, N2,400,0000, N278,600.000, N1,140,000 and N197,200.00”.
She further revealed that on May 9, 2019 there were inflows of N630,000.00 and N2,890,000, on May 13,2019, there were two inflows of N504,000,800 and N2,308,000, on June 13, 2019 there were inflows of N116,841,000, N190,395, N222,400, N286,650, N82,000 and N840,600, among other transactions.
In another matter involving the first defendant, Augustine Ojo Olowoniyan, Remigus Ugwu, PW1, a staff with Zenith bank while being led in evidence by prosecuting counsel Abba Muhammed, SAN, and while examining Exhibit PW1D narrated how funds were transferred from four project managers of the “Right of Will project” from the Ministry of works into the defendant`s account.
He stated that on March 29, 2019, there was an inflow of N4,700,000 from Festus Oluwa Dare Oluwatayo , on June 27, 2019 , there was an inflow of N10million from Pascal Ugochukwu . On July 2, 2019 there was an inflow of N10 million from Oluwadare Oluatayo, On July 10, 2019, N3,978,242.00 by Mohammed Ahmed. On January 6, 2020 there was an inflow of N150 million from Olasehinde Micah Jolomi, on that same day there was an outflow of N9m to Chile Ushahemba Samson. There was another transfer of N9m to Chile Ushahemba Samson`s Diamond`s account.
The matter was also adjourned to July 16, 17, 2025 for continuation of trial.