The Enugu State Government has issued its account of events following the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) declaration of Olasijibomi Ogundele, Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, as wanted over alleged diversion of funds and money laundering amounting to about N6 billion.
In a statement signed by the Commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, and released via its official X handle on Friday, the EFCC appealed to Nigerians with credible information on Ogundele’s whereabouts to support its investigation.
Responding, the Enugu State Government described the case as one of “premeditated fraud,” alleging that Ogundele disappeared after receiving funds earmarked for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools across the state.
In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr. Malachy Agbo, the government explained that while Ogundele presented a Jaiz Bank bond as security for the project, payments were made through Sujimoto’s Zenith Bank account, effectively preventing recourse against Jaiz Bank.
The government outlined the contract details, stating: “For the avoidance of doubt, on July 2, 2024, the Enugu State Government awarded a contract in the sum of N11,457,930,950.52 to Sujimoto Luxury Construction Ltd for the construction of 22 Smart Schools (buildings only) in six months starting from the date of the acceptance of the award. The Enugu State Government paid the sum of N5,762,565,475.25, representing 50 per cent of the contract sum, in order to fast-track the projects at all the sites.”
According to the state, Ogundele failed to deliver, resorting instead to substandard work using inexperienced personnel. “None of his sites met the structural integrity of the projects as specified in the structural drawing. Worse still, he vanished into thin air with the money,” the statement read.
The government said all efforts to engage Ogundele, including project briefings and multiple attempts at communication, were ignored. It noted that the EFCC was petitioned after his continued absence and failure to meet contractual obligations.
A joint inspection by officials of the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and the EFCC on May 8 and 9, 2025, reportedly confirmed that minimal or no meaningful progress had been made at the sites one year after the contract award. In some instances, excavation was allegedly not carried out for all blocks.
The statement added: “It was discovered in the course of investigation that whereas he presented a bond from Jaiz Bank, he used Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited’s Zenith Bank account number 1312731196 to receive the said payment and draw down the fund without deploying it to the projects. This clearly shows a premeditated intent to defraud the state ab initio.”
The government disclosed that the sites had been reassigned to new contractors, who had restarted construction, and assured that “tremendous progress” was being made to keep Governor Peter Mbah’s administration on course to deliver the Smart Green Schools by September.
“Nigerians should therefore disregard his theatrics and crocodile tears, as the Enugu State Government is determined to, and will surely, recover every penny of Ndi Enugu fraudulently obtained by Mr. Olasijibomi Ogundele (Sujimoto),” the statement concluded.
