The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has presented its first prosecution witness, William Abimbola, in the ongoing trial of a former Deputy Director of Highways at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Augustine Olowoniyan, along with Sulaiman Muhammed, a surveyor from the Department of Highways and Planning.
The duo appeared on Thursday before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo, Abuja.
According to a statement issued by the EFCC on Friday, they are facing a three-count charge relating to the alleged diversion and misappropriation of public funds totalling approximately ₦1.9 billion. The charges contravene Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The funds were reportedly designated for securing land titles for federal roads across Nigeria between March 4, 2019 and July 17, 2020 but were allegedly diverted for personal use.
During Thursday’s proceedings, the EFCC said its first witness, a compliance officer at United Bank for Africa (UBA), testified under the guidance of prosecuting counsel Abba Mohammed (SAN). The witness explained that the bank received a formal request from the EFCC concerning investigations into the bank accounts of certain customers.
The witness stated that Olowoniyan, the first defendant, holds three accounts with the bank, while the second defendant, Muhammed, holds one. He also revealed that he later received another request from the EFCC regarding a different individual, Ogueri Paschal, who maintains two accounts with the bank.
“The EFCC requested statements of accounts and the account opening documents. These were extracted from our server system and cross-checked against the records on our internal systems to verify their accuracy.
“Soft copies were retrieved, printed out, and the documents — including the account statements and opening forms — were reviewed for accuracy. A certificate of identification was then issued and sent along with a cover letter to the EFCC,” he said.
He added that he signed the certificate of identification on behalf of his supervisor, Edward Balande, who was on leave in Lagos at the time.
The court admitted into evidence the EFCC’s letter of enquiry to UBA, dated 30 October 2023, and UBA’s response dated 31 October 2023, along with the certificate of compliance — all marked as Exhibit PW1A.
A separate set of documents related to Ogueri Paschal, also dated October 31,2023, was admitted as Exhibit PW1B.
Justice Onwuegbuzie adjourned the case to May 26 and May 29, 2025 for continuation of the hearing.