N5.7bn contract: EFCC gets order to detain Sujimoto CEO

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA— The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured a tribunal bid to detain the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, Sijibomi Ogundele, implicit alleged N5.7billion unexecuted contract.

Ogundele is facing probe pursuing his alleged nonaccomplishment to present 22 Smart Green School projects successful Enugu State aft his institution was reportedly paid by the authorities government.

He was accused of abandoning the project, failing to instrumentality to site, and ignoring repeated calls for accountability.

Following his alleged nonaccomplishment to honour respective invitations, the EFCC, connected September 5, declared him wanted.

However, earlier helium surrendered himself to the anti-graft agency, the embattled contractor took to his societal media platforms to plead his innocence.

He explained that the declaration was underpriced, and arsenic cited ostentation arsenic a large origin that contributed to his inability to execute the project.

Responding to the claim, the Enugu State Government alleged that the Sujimoto CEO disappeared aft helium collected N5.7bn arsenic 50 percent mobilization interest to present the 22 Smart Green Schools successful six months, being February 2025.

“The Enugu State Government paid the sum of N5,762,565,475.25, representing 50 per cent of the declaration sum, successful bid to fast-track the projects astatine each the sites.

“Rather than play to the rules of the contract, Mr. Ogundele resorted to shoddy jobs and the usage of inexperienced workers and quack engineers.

“None of his sites small jobs done connected the sites met the structural integrity of the projects arsenic specified successful the structural drawing.

“Worse still, helium vanished into bladed aerial with the money. All efforts made by the authorities to get him to a roundtable to sermon the prime and advancement of enactment proved abortive.

“He arsenic refused to be the periodic projects briefing organised by the authorities authorities for each contractors oregon instrumentality galore calls and messages enactment crossed to him.

“In fact, helium practically abandoned the sites, leaving the Enugu State Government with nary different prime but to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to retrieve the funds paid to him.

“A associated squad of officers of the Enugu State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and the EFCC visited the 22 sites to measure the advancement of enactment connected May 8 and 9, 2025, wherever it was intelligibly established that determination had been minimal to nary important enactment done astatine the said sites 1 twelvemonth aft the declaration award.

“In immoderate cases, helium fraudulently did not bash excavation for each the blocks successful site. It is besides connected grounds that helium has not shown up astatine the sites oregon made himself disposable to either the authorities authorities oregon the instrumentality enforcement agencies.

“The authorities has since retaken and handed implicit the sites to caller firms, which person nary prime but to commencement the operation afresh. It is arsenic noteworthy that determination were different firms awarded aggregate fig of Smart Green School projects and they are delivering prime jobs connected target,” the authorities added.

Pictures that accompanied the Enugu State Government’s effect showed that the task sites were mostly astatine the levels of instauration and DPC, with a fewer astatine the signifier of artifact work.

The authorities further disclosed that different contractors it besides engaged, had completed akin projects.

Meanwhile, EFCC, which earlier froze Ogundele’s institution account, secured an bid from an Abuja Chief Magistrate Court to clasp him successful custody pending the decision of the investigation.

“We person made tremendous advancement successful the investigation. From adjacent week, helium (Ogundele) volition interface with apical officials of the Enugu State Government.

“He is expected to explicate however helium spent the N5.7bn oregon refund the money. His lawsuit looks straightforward,” a root astatine the EFCC told Vanguard, adding that the relationship was frozen to guarantee that funds successful it were not dissipated should determination beryllium request for a refund oregon forfeiture.

The station N5.7bn contract: EFCC gets bid to detain Sujimoto CEO appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.