Businessman Olasijibomi Ogundele, popularly known as Sujimoto, who was recently declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged money laundering and diversion of public funds, has denied any wrongdoing in a video statement, insisting that he is innocent and ready to clear his name.

However, the Enugu State Government has maintained that Ogundele failed to deliver on contracts awarded to his company despite receiving substantial payments.

In a statement on Friday, the Commissioner for Information, Malachy Agbo, disclosed that the state had paid ₦5,762,565,475.25, representing 50 per cent of the contract sum, to accelerate work across multiple project sites.

Agbo alleged that Ogundele abandoned the projects after mobilization, engaged “inexperienced workers and quack engineers,” and consistently failed to meet the required standards.

“None of his sites met the structural integrity of the projects as specified in the structural drawings. All efforts made by the government to get him to a roundtable to discuss the quality and progress of work proved abortive. In fact, he practically abandoned the sites, leaving the Enugu State Government with no other choice than to petition the EFCC to recover the funds paid to him,” Agbo said.

He further revealed that following a joint inspection by state officials and the EFCC in May 2025, investigators found that little or no progress had been made on the projects, despite Ogundele securing the contract with a Jaiz Bank bond.

“This clearly shows a premeditated intent to defraud the state ab initio,” Agbo alleged.

The Commissioner dismissed Ogundele’s public defence as mere theatrics, urging Nigerians not to be swayed by what he described as “crocodile tears.”

“Enugu State Government is determined to, and will surely, recover every penny of Ndi Enugu fraudulently obtained by Mr. Olasijibomi Ogundele,” he concluded.