Sijibomi Ogundele, the CEO of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, was interrogated for several hours on Monday at the Abuja headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He faced questions regarding an alleged misappropriation of N5.7 billion provided by the Enugu State Government.
Ogundele, who surrendered after previously being declared wanted, was still under interrogation as of 8 p.m., increasing the likelihood of detention. Meanwhile, his personal and company accounts have been frozen amid ongoing preliminary investigations.
Research indicates that Sujimoto was granted a contract worth over N11 billion by the state government. Initially, a 30 percent advance payment was approved; however, Ogundele reportedly requested an increase to 50 percent to facilitate early completion of the project. The state ultimately disbursed N5.7 billion — half of the total contract value — based on his promises for timely delivery.
Later, government officials claimed that the work completed at the site was valued at only about N750 million. They further alleged that Ogundele had abandoned the project, leading to a petition being filed with the EFCC.
Prior to his eventual appearance, investigators from the EFCC and officials from Enugu State conducted an inspection of the site. A source within the anti-graft agency confirmed: "The CEO of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited has turned himself in to our commission, and we have promptly taken him into custody. We have been interrogating him for over 10 hours based on a petition filed by the Enugu State Government. All personal and company accounts linked to him are frozen pending preliminary investigations, and we will confiscate his passport to limit travel outside the country."
According to the source, Ogundele has not been granted bail. Additionally, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale confirmed that "our investigators are still questioning him."
Meanwhile, Ogundele continues to assert his innocence. In a heartfelt video posted online, he claimed that the matter arose from a contractual dispute rather than fraudulent activity. "I'm not a thief or on the run," he stated emotionally. "This is about an agreement between my company and the Enugu State Government. They had engaged me to assist in constructing several projects, which was very promising for us—I traveled to the state every week."
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