Officers of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) of the Nigerian Police in Abuja have arrested the Managing Director of Sujimoto Holdings Group, Olasijibomi Ogundele, over alleged fraud of $325,000 he received from a client.
The FCID has launched an investigation into how Mr Ogundele's real estate company, Sujimoto Construction Limited, received $325,000 from a client for a real estate deal since November 2020 and failed to complete the project or refund the money, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.
The investigation followed a petition addressed to the deputy inspector general of police in charge of criminal investigations by lawyer Pelumi Olajengbesi of Law Corridor, a copy of which was obtained by this newspaper on Thursday.
The petition, signed by Olajengbesi, managing partner of the law firm, explains that the real estate tycoon, currently under investigation by the police, obtained the sum of $325,000 from one Kabiru Garba Ibrahim on November 5, 2020.
The sum, according to the petition, was intended for the payment of 50 percent of the agreed sum of $650,000 for a property of a 3-bedroom apartment unit located on an estate known as LeonardoBySujimoto Homes.
Olajengbesi alleged that the actions amount to obtaining money by false acts, fraudulent misrepresentations and criminal breach of trust because since 2020, Ibrahim has not recovered property or his money from the company.
Senior police sources who are aware of the matter but spoke to PREMIUM TIMES on condition of anonymity, revealed that the FCID invited Mr. Ogundele in May 2024 after the petition was received, but he never followed through on the invitation.
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One of the officers, who did not want his name published because he was not authorized to speak to the press, added that instead of honoring the police's invitation, LeonardoBySujimoto Homes and its GMD Ogundele filed a fundamental rights case against the police , asking the court to stop the investigation against him and the company.
PREMIUM TIMES further learned that it required the intervention of an FCID Deputy Commissioner of Police who traveled to Lagos to meet Mr. Ogundele to report to the FCID in Abuja on Wednesday.
“When we started the investigation and invited the suspect through a letter, the next thing we saw was that he had sued the police, requesting that we suspend our constitutional duties as police officers. I guess he was misled or misled by his lawyers,” a senior police officer told PREMIUM TIMES.
When contacted, FCID Spokesperson, Funmi Eguaoje, Deputy Superintendent of Police, confirmed the ongoing investigation, although he noted that Ogundele was arrested on Wednesday when he failed to comply with his bail conditions.
“He came by invitation yesterday (Wednesday) but they could not resolve the matter until yesterday,” said Mrs Eguaoje.
He confirmed that Ogundele was called for an interview on Thursday.
He said the businessman complied with his bail conditions on Thursday night.
“He will now be released on bail,” said the FCID spokesperson.
Efforts to speak to Kenny Umenyi, Mr Ogundele's lawyer, about the matter were unsuccessful as a call to his phone line was disconnected after our correspondent showed up.
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He had yet to respond to a text message sent to him at the time of filing this report Thursday evening.
In July, Ogundele revealed that his company's ambitious $225 million LeonardoBySujimoto real estate project, located in Ikoyi, Lagos State, will surpass the iconic 45-year-old NECOM House built in 1979, marking a new era of architectural excellence and redefining Luxury living in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The planned 165-metre marvelous project, if built, will eclipse the dominant 106-metre NECOM House, which currently stands as the tallest building in West Africa. It features numerous new features, including more than 48 electric vehicle charging stations, a virtual indoor golf bar, a standard IMAX theater and eight private pools.
In September, the real estate mogul's firm and construction company, Sujimoto, partnered with the Enugu State Government on a project to aid the education revolution in the state.
Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah’s N420 billion initiative aims to build 260 state-of-the-art smart schools in all districts of the state.
Initially focused on expanding its agro-industrial projects in Enugu, Sujimoto's involvement took a transformative turn when Governor Mbah invited the company to join the educational project.
The smart schools, designed to encourage experiential learning and innovation, will be built across all 17 local government areas of Enugu State and each school will cost about N1.6 billion.