The EFCC has declared socialite and businessman Olasijibomi Ogundele, chief executive officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, wanted.
Sujimoto, a prominent luxury real estate and construction
company in Nigeria, is renowned for its ambitious architectural designs and
focus on high-end living in Lagos.
The anti-graft agency announced the development in a wanted notice signed by its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, and posted on its official social media platforms on Friday.
According to the EFCC, Mr Ogundele is wanted in
connection with an alleged case of fund diversion and money laundering.
“The public is hereby notified that Olasijibomi Suji
Ogundele of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, whose photograph appears
above is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an
alleged case of diversion of funds and money laundering.
“Ogundele is a 44-year-old indigene of Ori-Ade Local
Government of Osun State, and his last known address is: G 29, Banana Island,
Ikoyi, Lagos State”, the anti-graft agency stated.
The commission urged Nigerians with credible information
on Mr Ogundele’s whereabouts to contact the anti-graft agency through its
offices in Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin,
Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt, or Abuja.
Background
In October 2024, PREMIUM TIMES reported that operatives
of the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID) in Abuja arrested Mr
Ogundele over an alleged $325,000 fraud involving a client’s payment.
The FCID launched an investigation into how Mr Ogundele’s
real estate firm received $325,000 from a client in November 2020 for a
property deal but failed to deliver the project or issue a refund.
The probe followed a petition to the Deputy
Inspector-General of Police in charge of criminal investigations by lawyer Pelumi
Olajengbesi of Law Corridor.
In the petition, signed by Mr Olajengbesi, the law firm’s
managing partner, he detailed that the real estate mogul collected $325,000
from one Kabiru Garba Ibrahim on 5 November 2020.
The amount represented 50 per cent of the agreed $650,000
for a three-bedroom flat at LeonardoBySujimoto Homes.
Mr Olajengbesi alleged that the conduct amounted to
obtaining money by false pretence, fraudulent misrepresentation, and criminal
breach of trust, as Mr Ibrahim has neither received the property nor a refund
since 2020.
Mr Ogundele, however, denied defrauding the client.
This newspaper reported that he blamed the country’s economic
downturn and the naira’s depreciation for the delay in fulfilling the contract.
Meanwhile, activist Scott Iguma confirmed on his
Instagram page on Friday that Mr Ogundele was among those he had repeatedly
accused of fraudulent real estate deals.
He added that, beyond being declared wanted by the
anti-graft agency, he had also received a complaint alleging that Mr Ogundele
owed another individual $1.9 million.
According to Mr Iguma, Mr Ogundele had failed to settle
the debt since 2020.
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