Sijibomi Ogundele, Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, is under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged misappropriation of ₦5.7 billion released by the Enugu State Government for a major construction project.
Ogundele, who had earlier been declared wanted, surrendered himself to the anti-graft agency on Monday and was interrogated for over 10 hours at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja. As of 8 p.m., he remained in custody, with his personal and company bank accounts frozen and his passport seized to restrict travel.
Investigations revealed that Sujimoto was awarded a contract valued at over ₦11 billion by the Enugu State Government. While 30 percent of the project sum was initially approved as advance payment, Ogundele allegedly convinced officials to release 50 percent—amounting to ₦5.7 billion—promising speedy completion.
However, subsequent inspections reportedly showed that only about ₦750 million worth of work had been executed, leading the state government to petition the EFCC.
A senior official of the agency confirmed the development: “The CEO of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited turned himself in and has been in our custody since morning. He is being questioned over allegations contained in a petition by the Enugu State Government. All his accounts have been frozen pending investigation.”
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale also stated that Ogundele had not been granted bail.
In response, Ogundele released an emotional video insisting on his innocence. He described the case as a contractual disagreement rather than fraud: “I’m not a thief or on the run. This is about an agreement between my company and the Enugu State Government. I was engaged to deliver projects that I traveled to Enugu weekly to oversee.”
The EFCC is expected to make further pronouncements on the case after the ongoing interrogation.