- The real estate mogul was detained and interrogated for more than 24 hours over the sum of $325,000 he allegedly received from a client in a property deal since November 2020
Operatives of the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID) of the Nigerian police in Abuja have arrested the Group Managing Director, Sujimoto Holdings, Olasijibomi Ogundele, over an alleged fraud involving $325,000 he received from a client.
According to report, the FCID launched an investigation into how Ogundele’s real estate firm, Sujimoto Construction Limited, received $325,000 from a client for a real estate deal since November 2020 and failed to deliver on the project or refund the money.
The probe followed a petition to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of criminal investigations by a lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi of Law Corridor, WITHIN NIGERIA learnt.
The petition, signed by Mr Olajengbesi, the law firm’s managing partner, explained the real estate mogul, who is currently being probed by the police, obtained the sum of $325,000 from one Kabiru Garba Ibrahim on 5 November 2020.
The sum, according to the petition, was meant for the 50 per cent payment of the agreed sum of $650,000 for a property of one unit of 3-bedroomed flat located at an estate known as LeonardoBySujimoto Homes.
Mr Olajengbesi alleged that the actions amount to obtaining money by false pretence, fraudulent misrepresentation and criminal breach of trust because since 2020, Ibrahim neither got the property nor his money back from the company.
According to PremiumTimes, Senior police sources who are privy to the matter told the newspaper that Mr Ogundele was invited by the FCID in May 2024 after the petition was received but he never honoured the invitation.
One of the officers, who doesn’t want his name in print because he wasn’t authorised to speak to the press, added that rather than honouring police invitation, LeonardoBySujimoto Homes and its GMD Ogundele filed a fundamental rights suit against the police, asking the court to stop the probe against his person and the firm.
It was learnt that it required the intervention of an Assistant Commissioner of Police from the FCID who traveled to Lagos to meet with Mr Ogundele for him to report at the FCID Abuja on Wednesday.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the FCID, Funmi Eguaoje – a Deputy Superintendent of Police, confirmed the ongoing probe, while noting that Mr Ogundele was detained on Wednesday when he could not meet his bail conditions.
“He came on invitation yesterday (Wednesday) but they couldn’t resolve the matter as of yesterday,” Ms Eguaoje said.
She confirmed that Mr Ogundele was called in for an interview on Thursday.
She said the businessman met the bail conditions Thursday night.
“He’s going out on bail now,” the FCID spokesperson said.
Efforts to speak with Kenny Umenyi, lawyer to Mr Ogundele, regarding the matter proved abortive.
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