Fraud Scandal Rocks Enugu! Sujimoto CEO Fingered In ₦5.7bn Smart Schools Controversy

The Enugu State Government has accused real estate developer, Olasijibomi Ogundele, popularly known as Sujimoto, of defrauding the state of ₦5.7 billion meant for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools.

On Friday, August 5, the EFCC declared Sujimoto wanted over alleged money laundering and diversion of funds. In response, he released an emotional video denying the allegations, insisting that his fallout with the Enugu State Government over the school project triggered the move against him.

In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Malachy Agbo, the government said Sujimoto received ₦5.7 billion—50% of the total ₦11.4 billion contract sum— as mobilisation fee after the project was awarded on July 2, 2024, with a six-month deadline. Instead of delivering, the statement alleged, he carried out “shoddy work, hired quack engineers, and abandoned all sites without meeting any structural specifications.”

The government further claimed Sujimoto provided a performance bond from a bank to secure the contract but diverted payments into his company’s account with another bank, effectively shielding the guarantor from liability—an action officials described as “premeditated fraud.”

A joint inspection by the Ministry of Works and EFCC in May 2025 allegedly confirmed that most of the sites were abandoned at foundation level, while a few reached only the damp-proof course stage. The state has since reassigned the projects to new contractors to meet the September 2025 Smart Schools deadline.

Agbo urged the public to dismiss Sujimoto’s “crocodile tears,” vowing that all misappropriated funds would be recovered.

“The Mbah administration is determined to deliver Smart Green Schools to Ndi Enugu. No theatrics from Sujimoto will erase the fact that he defrauded the people,” the statement read.

The government also released photographs from the joint inspection, showing the abandoned project sites.