By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Enugu State Government has accused Olasijibomi Ogundele, CEO of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, of defrauding the state of N5.7 billion meant for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools across the state.
In a statement on Friday, Governor Peter Mbah’s spokesperson alleged that Ogundele disappeared after receiving 50% of the contract sum, leaving most school sites either abandoned or barely started.
The EFCC had earlier declared Ogundele wanted for alleged diversion of funds and money laundering.
Hours later, a video surfaced online showing the luxury developer in tears, insisting: “I’m not a thief, I’m not a fugitive.”
Ogundele claimed the dispute arose from inflation, rising cement prices from N7,000 to N10,000 per bag and security threats to his workers.
He said he took on the project despite warning the state about unrealistic costs and even suffered a back injury during the contract period.
However, the state government alleged premeditated fraud, accusing Ogundele of using Sujimoto’s Zenith Bank account instead of a Jaiz Bank bond meant to secure the deal, making it impossible to hold the bank liable.
A joint inspection by the Enugu Ministry of Works and the EFCC in May reportedly confirmed “minimal to no work” at most sites, with some lacking proper excavation or structural compliance.
The government said the six-month project was supposed to be ready by September 2025 for the new school term, but work has since been reassigned to other contractors. It vowed to recover “every naira” allegedly misappropriated.
