- Ex-NNPCL boss, others to face trial soon
- Anti-graft agency secures court order to detain Sujimoto CEO
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has directed the immediate past Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari, to report at its Abuja headquarters daily as the commission prepares to arraign him in court soon.
Also expected to be charged by the commission are some former NNPC top shots and contractors, The Nation gathered yesterday.
Kyari and other suspects first faced EFCC investigators on Wednesday in connection with the more than $2.5 billion allegedly spent on the rehabilitation of the nation’s four refineries.
The Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, Sijibomi Ogundele, who is also being investigated by the commission, is to remain in its custody pending the conclusion of the probe of how he allegedly obtained over N5 billion from the Enugu State Government in respect of a contract he failed to deliver.
The commission has obtained a remand order to that effect from a magistrate court.
The commission has already placed restrictions on some of Kyari’s accounts.
Sources said yesterday that the volume of documents being examined by detectives in the course of the investigation is much, hence the need for the former NNPC boss to show up every day to throw light on grey areas.
The sources could not confirm when Kyari’s daily presence would no longer be required by the EFCC. They, however, said all the suspects might be charged to court soon.
“The commission has granted Kyari bail with a clause that he should be reporting daily for interrogation and interaction as the case may be,” one of the sources said.
“We have isolated issues for him to respond to, documents to verify and contractors to confirm or deny their claims.
He said former MDs/GMs of the refineries had been interrogated as well as some ex-officials of NNPC and contractors.
Interrogating Kyari, he said, is the final lap of the investigation.
“He is to fill in some gaps which will help us to prefer charges based on verifiable evidence,” he said.
Responding to a question, the source said that barring last minute evidence or clarifications, the evidence gathered so far indicate that Kyari may face trial with some former top shots of NNPC.
“It is left to them to prove their innocence in court,” the source added.
About $18 billion was said to have been expended since 2010 while the refineries remain in poor conditions.
Among other things, Kyari is to account for the over $2.5 billion voted for turn-around maintenance (TAM) of the refineries during his tenure, including the disbursement of $1.55 billion to the Port Harcourt refinery, $740.6 million (Kaduna refinery) and $656.9 million (Warri refinery).
Kyari’s defence was unknown at press time, but he had earlier said he had nothing to hide.
Turn-around maintenance has been a major money pit of NNPC in the last three years in particular.
On the 24th of June 2022, the Federal Executive Council awarded a Maintenance Services contract for Quick Fix Repairs of Warri Refinery to Daewoo Engineering and Construction Limited at $497,328,500.00.
The deal was different from the 2017 contract given to Saipem Contracting Nigeria Limited for Tech Plant Survey of the Warri and Kaduna refineries at 2,025,000.32 Euros.
The Kaduna refinery and Petro-Chemical Company (KRPC) have gulped N2.266 billion for rehabilitation in the last 10 years.
The NNPCL approved a deal with Daewoo Engineering and Construction Limited to renovate the Kaduna refinery in February 2023 with a view to restoring the refinery to production of 110,000 barrels of petrol per day and at least 60 per cent capacity by early 2024.
No immediate reprieve for Sujimoto boss
In the case of Ogundele, the EFCC is asking him to explain how he spent the N5.7 billion he allegedly collected from the Enugu State Government in respect of a contract he failed to execute.
In the alternative, he is asked to refund the money.
There were indications yesterday that the EFCC might seek a court order to seize the funds in his personal and company’s accounts.
From next week, he will interface with top officials of Enugu State Government on the award of contract for 22 Smart Green Schools by the state Ministry of Works and Infrastructure.
An EFCC source said a remand order had been secured from a magistrate court to detain him until the anti-graft agency was able to complete investigation.
Ogundele’s case, he said, is that of N5.7 billion fraud leveled against him by the Enugu State Government.
He said there is proven evidence of the said sum paid to Ogundele, adding that EFCC was in possession of the terms of the contract and the documents showing his failure to comply with the contractual obligation.
Both the personal accounts of Ogundele and that of Sujimoto, he said, had been frozen.
“He is yet to make any concession. He is expected to explain how he spent the N5.7 billion or refund the money,” he said.
The source said Ogundele’s accounts were frozen in case they get to a stage where they would approach the courts for forfeiture of the funds therein.
He said as from next week, the building contractor will interface with top officials of Enugu State Government on the award of the 22 Smart Green Schools to Sujimoto.
“His case looks straightforward,” he added.
The EFCC had declared Ogundele wanted penultimate Friday for alleged money laundering.
Ogundele immediately went on X to blame the Enugu State Government for the EFCC action.
Enugu State responded moments later, alleging that the suspect disappeared after collecting N5.7 billion as 50 per cent mobilization fee for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools across the state.
Information and Communication Commissioner Malachy Agbo said in a statement that Ogundele was awarded a contract worth N11.4 billion on July 2, 2024, with a six-month completion timeline.
The suspect allegedly resorted to doing a shoddy work, employed quack engineers and eventually abandoned all sites without meeting any structural specifications.
He said in part: “For the avoidance of doubt, on July 2, 2024, the Enugu State Government awarded a contract in the sum of N11,457,930,950.52 to Sujimoto Luxury Construction Ltd for the construction of 22 Smart Schools (buildings only) in six months starting from the date of the acceptance of the award.
“The Enugu State Government paid the sum of N5,762,565,475.25, representing 50 per cent of the contract sum, in order to fast-track the projects at all the sites.
“Rather than play to the rules of the contract to deliver quality projects for furnishing and equipping ahead of September 2025 school resumption, in line with the priority placed on the Smart Green Schools initiative by the government, Mr. Ogundele resorted to shoddy jobs and the use of inexperienced workers and quack engineers.
“None of his sites met the structural integrity of the projects as specified in the structural drawing.
“Worse still, he vanished into thin air with the money. All efforts made by the government to get him to a roundtable to discuss the quality and progress of work proved abortive.
“He equally refused to attend the periodic projects briefing organised by the state government for all contractors or take numerous calls and messages put across to him.
“In fact, he practically abandoned the sites, leaving the Enugu State Government with no other choice but to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to recover the funds paid to him.
“A joint team of officers of the Enugu State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and the EFCC visited the 22 sites to evaluate the progress of work on May 8 and 9, 2025, where it was clearly established that there had been minimal to no significant work done at the said sites one year after the contract award.
“In some cases, he fraudulently did not do excavation for all the blocks in site.
“It is also on record that he has not shown up at the sites or made himself available to either the state government or the law enforcement agencies even after those site visits.
“It is also pertinent to state that it was discovered in the course of investigation that whereas he presented a bond from Jaiz Bank, he used Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited’s Zenith Bank account number 1312731196 to receive the said payment and draw down the fund without deploying it to the projects.
“This clearly shows a premeditated intent to defraud the state ab initio.
“The government has since retaken and handed over the sites to new firms, which have no choice but to start the construction afresh.
“Tremendous progress has been made to keep the determination of the Mbah Administration to migrate Enugu children to Smart Green Schools by September on track.
“It is equally noteworthy that there were other firms awarded multiple number of Smart Green School projects and they are delivering quality jobs on target.
“Nigerians should therefore disregard his theatrics and crocodile tears, as Enugu State Government is determined to and will surely recover every penny of Ndi Enugu fraudulently obtained by Mr. Olasijibomi Ogundele (Sujimoto).”
The Enugu State Government’s statement was accompanied with pictures of the project sites as abandoned by Sujimoto, which were taken by the joint team of officials of the state and operatives of the EFCC during the May 8 and 9 site visits.
The pictures clearly showed that the project sites were mostly at the levels of foundation and DPC, with a few at the stage of block work.”
Contacted, the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Dele Oyewale, said “the investigation of the two cases was still ongoing”
He declined further comments.
