The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has secured a court order to detain the Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, Sijibomi Ogundele, over an alleged N5.7 billion failed contract for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools in Enugu State.
Ogundele, who had earlier been declared wanted on September 5 for failing to honour EFCC invitations, surrendered himself after defending his stance on social media. He claimed that inflation and an underpriced contract prevented him from executing the project.
The Enugu State Government, however, accused him of collecting N5.7 billion as 50 percent mobilisation fee in February 2025 and abandoning the work. In a statement, the government said, “Rather than play to the rules of the contract, Mr. Ogundele resorted to shoddy jobs and the use of inexperienced workers and quack engineers. None of his sites met the structural integrity of the projects as specified in the structural drawing. Worse still, he vanished into thin air with the money.”
The state added that Ogundele ignored repeated calls, skipped project briefings, and “practically abandoned the sites,” leaving it with no choice but to petition the EFCC.
A joint inspection by officials of the state Ministry of Works and the EFCC in May reportedly showed “minimal to no significant work done” at most sites a year after the award. Some of the schools, according to the state, were still at the foundation stage.
Following this, the government reassigned the projects to new contractors, noting that other firms handling multiple Smart Green Schools had delivered quality jobs on schedule.
Meanwhile, an EFCC source confirmed that Ogundele’s company account was frozen and that the detention order would allow investigators to recover the missing funds. “We have made enormous progress in the investigation. From next week, he will interface with top officials of the Enugu State Government. He is expected to explain how he spent the N5.7bn or refund the money. His case looks straightforward,” the source said.
The Abuja Chief Magistrate Court granted the order to keep him in custody pending the conclusion of the probe.
