Olayiwola Matthew
For hours on Monday (yesterday), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) grilled the Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, Sijibomi Ogundele, in Abuja over alleged diversion of about N5.7 billion belonging to Enugu State.
There were indications he might be detained because the quizzing was ongoing as at 8pm.
The anti-graft commission froze his accounts and that of his firm pending the outcome of the preliminary investigation.
He was awarded over N11 billion contract by the state government, it was learnt.
Although the state initially approved the payment of 30 percent of the contract sum, he pleaded for 50 percent to enable him complete the project in a record time.
Based on his pledge to meet up with the deadline, the Enugu State Government conceded N5.7 billion, representing 50 percent of the contract sum.
It was, however, claimed by the government that the worth of the project he executed was about N750 million.
The state also alleged that he had remained evasive and allegedly refused to return to site, leading to a formal complaint to the EFCC.
When he refused to honour EFCC’s invitation, he was declared wanted.
But before he showed up, it was learnt that a team of investigators of the EFCC and officials of the Enugu State Government inspected the project site.
A source in EFCC said on Tuesday: “The Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited has surrendered to our commission and we immediately took him into custody.
“For more than 10 hours, we have been questioning him based on the petition of the Enugu State Government.
“We have frozen all his accounts and that of his company pending the conclusion of the preliminary investigation.
“We will also seize his passport to restrict his movement to the country.
“We are still interrogating him, we are yet to admit him to bail.”
The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, said: “Our investigators were still grilling him.”
Ogundele has vowed to clear his name after being declared wanted by the EFCC.
In a video shared online, an emotional Ogundele said tearfully that the matter arose from a contractual dispute with the Enugu State Government and not from any act of criminality.
He said: “I’m not a thief, I’m not a fugitive.
“This is a contract between my company and the Enugu State Government.
“The Enugu State Government asked me to help them build a couple of things, which was very interesting.
“I was going to the state every week.”