By Chimdiogo Amuh 

The Enugu State Government has dismissed the defence put forward by the Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, Olasijibomi Ogundele, insisting that it will recover the ₦5.76 billion allegedly misappropriated from the state.

The state accused Ogundele of defrauding Enugu of funds meant for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools across the state. This follows Ogundele’s declaration as wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of money laundering and diversion of public funds.

Ogundele had earlier released a video denying any wrongdoing and stating his willingness to clear his name, attributing the controversy to a contractual dispute with the Enugu State Government.

However, in a statement issued on Friday, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Malachy Agbo, said the contract for the construction of the 22 Smart Green Schools was awarded to Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited on July 2, 2024, at a total cost of ₦11.46 billion.

According to the state government, 50 per cent of the contract sum—amounting to ₦5.76 billion—was paid upfront to fast-track the projects, but the sites were later abandoned.

Agbo alleged that Ogundele failed to meet contractual obligations, deployed inexperienced workers and engineers, and delivered substandard work that did not meet the required structural specifications.

The government further stated that Ogundele allegedly ignored calls, messages and invitations to project briefings, and failed to make himself available to relevant authorities during inspections.

A joint inspection carried out by the state Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and the EFCC on May 8 and 9, 2025 reportedly revealed minimal or no significant work done at the project sites nearly one year after the contract was awarded.

The government also alleged that despite presenting a performance bond from Jaiz Bank, Ogundele received the contract funds through his company’s account but failed to deploy the money to the projects, describing the action as a deliberate attempt to defraud the state.

As a result, the Enugu State Government said it petitioned the EFCC to recover the funds and has since reassigned the projects to new contractors to ensure completion ahead of the 2025 school resumption.

The government urged the public to disregard Ogundele’s claims, describing them as “theatrics and crocodile tears,” and reaffirmed its determination to recover every kobo allegedly obtained fraudulently.