The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured a court order to detain Mr. Sijibomi Ogundele, the Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, amid an investigation into the alleged diversion of N5.7 billion intended for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools in Enugu State.
According to reports, the remand order was issued by a magistrate court to allow investigators to complete their inquiries. The EFCC had previously frozen Ogundele’s personal bank accounts and those of his company, while also seizing his international passport.
“He is expected to explain how he spent the N5.7 billion or refund the money,” an EFCC source stated. The commission had earlier declared Ogundele wanted on charges of money laundering and misappropriation of public funds.
In response, Ogundele took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to assert his innocence, describing the situation as a “misunderstanding” stemming from a contractual agreement with the Enugu State Government. “I am not a thief. I am not a fugitive,” he said in an emotional video. “This is a contract between me and the Enugu State Government.”
The real estate entrepreneur explained that his firm was initially tasked with designing a proposed 69-storey skyscraper, which would have been Nigeria’s tallest building, but was later directed to construct model schools due to budget constraints. “The governor told me, ‘You won’t make money from the schools, but you’ll make money from other projects.’ I was happy with that,” Ogundele stated, adding that he mobilized 42 engineers and temporarily relocated to Enugu, where he reportedly sustained an injury while supervising work.
However, the Enugu State Government quickly accused Ogundele of abandoning the contract after receiving N5.76 billion as a 50 percent mobilization fee, with a six-month delivery timeline starting from February 2025. “The Enugu State Government paid the sum of N5,762,565,475.25 to fast-track the projects across all sites. Rather than adhere to the terms of the contract, Mr. Ogundele resorted to substandard work and the use of quack engineers. None of the structures inspected met the required specifications,” the government alleged.
The state further claimed that Ogundele evaded all attempts at dialogue, skipped periodic project briefings, and ignored official calls and messages. “Worse still, he practically abandoned the sites, leaving the Enugu State Government with no other choice but to petition the EFCC to recover the funds,” the statement continued.
A joint inspection conducted by officials from the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure alongside EFCC operatives on May 8 and 9, 2025, reportedly revealed little to no progress across the 22 project sites one year after the contract was awarded. “In some cases, he fraudulently failed to carry out excavation for all the blocks on site. The government has since taken over and re-awarded the contracts to other firms, who had to commence construction afresh,” the state government declared.
Officials noted that other contractors handling multiple Smart Green School projects were already delivering quality work within schedule, thereby confirming Sujimoto’s alleged non-performance.
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