The Enugu State Government has accused real estate mogul, Olasijibomi Ogundele aka Sujimoto, of defrauding the state of N5.7 billion paid for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools across the state.
Recall that on Friday, August 5, the EFCC had declared Sujimoto wanted over his alleged involvement in a case of money laundering and diversion of funds.
Sujimoto then released a video in which he denied claims of being a fraudster or a thief. Suji who couldn’t hold back tears, disclosed that his faceoff with the Enugu state government over a project is behind the EFCC declaring him wanted. Read here.
In a statement released by its Commissioner for Information and Communication, Malachy Agbo, the Enugu state government alleged that Sujimoto disappeared after receiving N5.7 billion as 50 per cent mobilisation fee for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools across the State.
According to the government, the contract, worth N11.4 billion, was awarded to Sujimoto on July 2, 2024, with a six-month completion timeline but that instead of delivering the projects, Ogundele allegedly resorted to “shoddy work, employed quack engineers and eventually abandoned all sites without meeting any structural specifications.”
“Worse still, he vanished into thin air with the money. He refused to honour periodic project briefings, avoided calls and messages, and absconded from site inspections,” the statement read
The government further alleged that Sujimoto presented a performance bond from a Bank to secure the contract but used his company’s account in a new generation bank to receive payments, thereby shielding the Bank he initially provided from liability and betraying what officials described as “a clear premeditated intent to defraud.”
The state government said a joint inspection by the Ministry of Works and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on May 8 and 9, 2025, reportedly confirmed that most of the sites were abandoned at foundation level, with a few at damp-proof course stage. The statement added that following the findings, the government said it reassigned the projects to new contractors who are working to meet the September 2025 deadline for the Smart Schools initiative.
Agbo urged Nigerians to disregard Ogundele’s “theatrics,” insisting that every kobo misappropriated would be recovered through the EFCC and other legal channels.
“The Mbah administration remains resolute in delivering Smart Green Schools to Ndi Enugu. No amount of crocodile tears from Sujimoto will erase the fact that he defrauded the people,” the commissioner stated.
The government also released pictures taken during the joint inspection, showing the abandoned state of the project sites. See below..,
