Enugu State Patriots, a group of leaders across political and professional backgrounds, have accused the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Company Limited, Olasijibomi Ogundele, of lies and emotional manipulation to wriggle himself out of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) net.
 
The group equally alerted the public to an alleged smear campaign by Ogundele against the EFCC and Enugu State Government, rather than coming clean on the facts of the allegation of laundering and diverting the sum of N5.7 billion paid to him by the state government for the construction of 22 out of the 260 Smart Green Schools embarked upon by the Governor Peter Mbah Administration.
 
It stated this in a statement issued by its spokesman, Prof. Martin Anikwe, in Enugu yesterday, urging Ogundele to “return Enugu State’s money and save Nigerians endless theatrics, lies, and cheap blackmail aimed at currying public sympathies.”
 
The statement said: “We have observed a pattern in the whole Sujimoto episode. First, once he was declared wanted by the EFCC for failing to honour lawful invitations for several months, he put up an Oscar performance, shedding crocodile tears in a failed bid to win public sympathies.

“When he eventually submitted himself, his spin doctors alleged that he was not eating enough nourishing food at the EFCC detention facility, and was not allowed enough time with his doctors and lawyers.
 
“He also accused the EFCC and South East Zonal Director of bias and compromise.” The group, however, maintained that Ogundele’s antics were “not any different from the culture of the Nigerian corrupt, who feign sickness, employ theatrics and cheap blackmail to evade justice.”
 
Sujimoto had earlier explained that the fallout with Enugu State government was due to a hike in the prices of construction materials.