- Freezes accounts
By Obinna Uballa
The Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, Sijibomi Ogundele, is facing heightened scrutiny as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) interrogated him for several hours on Monday over an alleged N5.7 billion fraud linked to an Enugu State Government contract. The anti-graft agency has also frozen his personal and company accounts and seized his passport as part of the ongoing investigation.
Ogundele, who was earlier declared wanted for failing to honour multiple invitations, turned himself in at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja and was grilled for several hours on Monday. As of 8 p.m., he was still in custody, with indications that he may be detained overnight, reports said.
A senior EFCC official confirmed that the agency had frozen Ogundele’s personal and company accounts and seized his passport to restrict movement during the investigation.
“The CEO of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited surrendered to us and was immediately taken into custody. For over 10 hours, we have been interrogating him based on a petition by the Enugu State Government,” the official was quoted to have said.
The case stems from an N11 billion contract awarded by the Enugu State Government to Sujimoto for undisclosed projects. According to the petition, the state initially approved 30 percent upfront payment, but Ogundele allegedly requested 50 percent to fast-track execution.
The government said it mobilized the firm with the sum of N5.7 billion, representing half of the contract sum.
However, investigators allege that the actual value of work delivered on-site was only about N750 million. The petition claims Ogundele abandoned the project and failed to return to the site despite repeated reminders, prompting the state to petition the EFCC.
However, in a video shared on social media, Ogundele denied any criminal intent, describing the matter as a contractual dispute rather than fraud.
“I’m not a thief and I’m not a fugitive. This is a contract between my company and the Enugu State Government. They asked me to help them build several projects, and I was visiting the state every week,” he said.
