The Enugu state government has accused Olasijibomi Ogundele, chief executive officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, of defrauding the state of N5.7 billion.
The government alleged that Ogundele disappeared after receiving funds for the construction of 22 smart green schools across the state.
On Friday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared the real estate developer wanted for alleged diversion of funds and money laundering.
Hours later, a video surfaced online showing Ogundele in tears as he denied any wrongdoing.
The entrepreneur said the allegations stemmed from a contract with Enugu state, which he undertook despite concerns over safety and pricing.
“I’m not a thief, I’m not a fugitive,” Ogundele said.
He explained that rising inflation and attacks on his workers made the project difficult to execute, citing an increase in cement price from N7,000 to N10,000 per bag.
‘THEATRICS, CROCODILE TEARS’
On Friday night, Malachy Agbo, commissioner for information in Enugu, issued a statement dismissing Ogundele’s viral video as “theatrics and crocodile tears”.
The Enugu state government accused Ogundele of “premeditated fraud”, alleging that the businessman presented a bond from Jaiz Bank to secure the contract, but used a Zenith Bank account to receive payment, shielding Jaiz from liability.
Agbo said the N11.4 billion contract was awarded on July 2, 2024, with a six-month completion deadline.
The commissioner claimed that the government paid the contractor N5.7 billion upfront to fast-track the project, but Ogundele resorted to “shoddy jobs”.
“Rather than play to the rules of the contract to deliver quality projects for furnishing and equipping ahead of September 2025 school resumption, in line with the priority placed on the Smart Green Schools initiative by the government, Mr Ogundele resorted to shoddy jobs and the use of inexperienced workers and quack engineers,” the statement reads.
“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. All efforts made by the government to get him to a roundtable proved abortive.”
The statement added that Ogundele abandoned the sites, ignored calls, and failed to attend project briefings, prompting the government to involve the EFCC.
Agbo said a joint inspection by state officials and EFCC operatives in May 2025 showed “minimal to no significant work” on the 22 sites one year after the contract award.
He noted that some sites were not excavated and that the government has since reassigned the projects to new contractors.
“Nigerians should disregard his theatrics and crocodile tears,” Agbo said.
“The Enugu state government will surely recover every penny of Ndi Enugu obtained by Olasijibomi Ogundele.”
