…Passport seized, accounts frozen
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday interrogated the Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, Mr. Sijibomi Ogundele, for several hours in Abuja over allegations of diverting ₦5.7 billion belonging to the Enugu State Government.
Ogundele, who had earlier been declared wanted by the commission for failing to honour its invitation, surrendered himself and was immediately taken into custody. As of 8:00 p.m. yesterday, the questioning was still ongoing, raising the possibility of his detention.
In the meantime, the anti-graft agency has frozen Ogundele’s personal and company accounts and seized his passport to restrict his movement pending the conclusion of investigations.
Disputied Contract
Investigations revealed that the Enugu State Government awarded Sujimoto contracts valued at over ₦11 billion. Although the government initially approved the release of 30 per cent of the contract sum, Ogundele reportedly appealed for 50 per cent upfront payment to enable him deliver the project within record time.
On the strength of this plea, the government disbursed ₦5.7 billion, representing half of the contract sum. However, subsequent assessments allegedly showed that the value of work executed was about ₦750 million.
Officials further claimed that Ogundele failed to return to site and allegedly avoided further contact, prompting a formal petition to the EFCC. Before his eventual surrender, investigators accompanied by Enugu State Government officials had already inspected the project site.
EFCC Speaks
Confirming the development, a senior EFCC source said:
“The Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited has surrendered to our commission and we immediately took him into custody. For more than 10 hours, we have been questioning him based on the petition of the Enugu State Government. We have frozen all his accounts and that of his company pending the conclusion of preliminary investigation. We will also seize his passport to restrict his movement to the country.”
The source added that the suspect was still being interrogated and had not yet been granted bail.
Also speaking, the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Dele Oyewale, confirmed that investigators were still questioning Ogundele as of last night.
Ogundele’s Defence
In a video shared online, Ogundele tearfully denied any wrongdoing, describing the matter as a contractual dispute rather than a criminal case.
“I’m not a thief, I’m not a fugitive. This is a contract between my company and the Enugu State Government. The government asked me to help them build a couple of things, which was very interesting. I was going to the state every week,” he said, vowing to clear his name.