EFCC Turns Down Bribery Attempts By Sujimoto CEO, Insists On Due Process

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has rebuffed alleged bribery overtures and propaganda campaigns mounted by the Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, Mr. Sijibomi Ogundele, and his team, insisting that the ongoing investigation into the N5.7 billion Smart Green Schools scandal in Enugu State will not be derailed.

Reliable sources close to the anti-graft commission disclosed that attempts have been made “from different quarters” to arm-twist the EFCC into soft-pedaling on the high-profile probe, including desperate efforts by the embattled Sujimoto boss to “settle” his way out of the probe rocking his company.

“We are aware of moves by powerful interests and even emissaries of the suspect to induce the EFCC into abandoning due process. But the Commission has strongly rejected these overtures. The investigation is water-tight, and no amount of lobbying, blackmail, or propaganda will stop us,” a source familiar with the matter confided.

Beyond monetary inducements, EFCC insiders revealed that Ogundele and his lawyers have also resorted to calculated blackmail to frustrate the probe. According to them, the Sujimoto camp has launched a smear campaign in the media, attempting to portray the agency as being used by political foes, while simultaneously flooding social media with counter-narratives designed to whip up public sympathy.

But officials insist the records speak for themselves. “He collected N5.7 billion mobilization from Enugu State to deliver 22 Smart Green Schools in six months. What is on ground are abandoned sites at foundation and block levels. Other contractors have delivered theirs with the same amount of money paid to them; only Sujimoto vanished with taxpayers’ money,” another source explained.

However, the EFCC, determined to close all loopholes, has already secured a Magistrate Court order to remand Ogundele, while his personal and company accounts remain frozen alongside the seizure of his international passport.

There are strong indications that the Commission may also seek a forfeiture order against the funds in the frozen accounts if Ogundele fails to account for the billions in his custody.

“The remand order is to allow us conclude investigations. He has to either explain in detail how he spent N5.7 billion or return it. His case looks straightforward because the contract documents, payment records, and site inspections speak for themselves,” an EFCC operative said.

Meanwhile, the Enugu State Government, which awarded the contract, has also accused Ogundele of outright fraud. In a damning statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Malachy Agbo, the government said:

“Rather than play to the rules of the contract, Mr. Ogundele resorted to shoddy jobs, quack engineers, and later vanished into thin air with the money. All efforts to get him to a roundtable failed.”

The statement was accompanied with graphic evidence from joint inspections by state officials and EFCC operatives, showing abandoned sites across the state, some barely beyond foundation level.

The statement further disclosed that the scandal became more glaring when compared with other contractors engaged by the state under the same Smart Green Schools initiative. Chief Ikeje Asogwa of Intasog delivered 12 schools, Surv. Ugo Chime of Testimony Enterprises, Chinedu Nwobodo (Petit) of Albond Limited, and Chief Charles Mba of CDV Properties, each handled 10 schools successfully. Sujimoto, despite receiving the highest mobilization, failed woefully.

Vowing that it would not allow its image to be dragged, the EFCC had insisted that the case is a litmus test for its resolve to withstand and dislodge corruption, propaganda and elite influence.

“The Commission is standing firm against a cocktail of bribery, intimidation, and blackmail,” an EFCC source said.

“With Ogundele already declared wanted and now in EFCC custody based on a remand order, Nigerians are keenly watching how the case unfolds. If successfully prosecuted, it could set a new precedent against elite contractors who hide under luxury brands and social media noise to defraud the public treasury.

“This is not about politics, this is about public trust. N5.7 billion of taxpayers’ money must be accounted for. The EFCC will not bow to pressure,” another top EFCC official, who does not want his name on print, added.