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Alleged N4.478b contracts fraud: Eight firms indicted

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UBEC

Eight companies which got N4.478 billion to supply 104 Unity Colleges Science Kits disappeared with the cash, The Nation has learnt.

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has written the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to admit that the kits were not supplied.

The anti-graft agency is probing top UBEC. officials for alleged diversion of a huge chunk of the N20 billion voted for contracts.

One of the contracts is the supply of science and technical equipment and books.

The movement of about eight suspects has been restricted to the country following the seizure of their passports.

UBEC conducted an audit of the items supplied by the eight companies.

In a March 1, 2018 letter to the EFCC, signed by an Assistant Director for Procurement, Benjamin A. Smart, UBEC confirmed that there was fraud in the contracts.

The letter said: “The total cost of items not delivered by the eight companies is N4,478,683, 300”.

The worth of the undelivered items and the companies allegedly involved are: L’enfant Enterprises Limited (N837,944,500); Callandar Investment (N639,474,000); Broomley Technologies (N533,516,500); Broomley Laboratories (N313,933,100); Benfield Nigeria Limited(N397,058,600); Adeyinka Ventures Limited (N764,671,300); Taiso Global (N565,179,800);  and Aristocrat SPC (N426,904,500).

The companies could not be reached for comments last night.

An EFCC source, who spoke in confidence, said: “UBEC wrote us based on documents collected from over 104 Federal Government Colleges and other schools.

“We discovered that most of the contracts awarded to at least seven of these eight companies were not bidded for. There was alleged violation of due process.

“We have pleaded on the accounts of the affected companies in line with the ongoing investigation.

“Apart from UBEC, our detectives invited the principals of the 104 schools and their store officers to give account of the quantity of the items supplied. Some schools received about 30% of their equipment, some got 40% and some 50%.

“About three to four schools in the Northeast, particularly those sited in Boko Haram insurgency axis, did not receive any science and technical equipment.

“When we discovered that these equipment were not supplied, EFCC investigators decided to track the money paid by UBEC.  The detectives discovered that about N5 billion was paid out to some individuals with a strong suspicion that it might have been diverted and used for the 2015 general elections.”

The source added: “We will soon release our findings on the textbook contracts awarded by UBEC within the same period.

WHO GOT WHAT

•L’enfant Enterprises Ltd (N837,944,500)
•Callandar Investment (N639,474,000)
•Broomley Technologies (N533,516,500)
•Broomley Laboratories (N313,933,100)
•Benfield Nigeria Ltd (N397,058,600)
•Adeyinka Ventures Ltd (N764,671,300)
•Taiso Global (N565,179,800)
•Aristocrat SPC (N426,904,500)

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Update : Bola Tinubu, with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron

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President Bola Tinubu, with his French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron, during a working private lunch at the Elysee Palace, Paris. Wednesday, September 10, 2025

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Breaking : EFCC declares Sujimoto CEO , Olasijibomi Ogundele, wanted over money laundering

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared a Lagos-based businessman, Olasijibomi Ogundele, wanted over alleged diversion of funds and money laundering.

In a wanted notice signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, and posted on its official X handle on Friday, the Commission appealed to members of the public with credible information about Ogundele’s whereabouts to come forward.

The notice read, “The public is hereby notified that Olasijibomi Ogundele of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, whose photograph appears above, is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in an alleged case of diversion of funds and money laundering.

“Ogundele is a 44-year-old indigene of Ori-Ade Local Government Area of Osun State. His last known address is: G29, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos State.

“Anybody with useful information as to his whereabouts should please contact the Commission in its Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt or Abuja offices, or through 08093322644; its e-mail address: [email protected], or the nearest Police Station and other security agencies.”

Ogundele, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction, is known for high-end real estate developments in Lagos, particularly in Ikoyi and Banana Island.

The company has gained prominence in Nigeria’s luxury property market, with projects valued in billions of naira.

Although the EFCC has not disclosed the specific amount allegedly diverted, the declaration signals that Ogundele is under investigation for serious financial crimes.

The wanted notice also highlights the Commission’s increasing focus on high-profile individuals in the private sector who are suspected of laundering illicit funds through real estate and luxury investments.

The EFCC has in the past vowed to curb money laundering and bring to book those suspected of involvement, whether among politicians, the civil service, the private sector, or within Nigeria’s booming property market, which anti-graft agencies have repeatedly identified as a key channel for concealing the proceeds of corruption.

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Insecurity : Tinubu seeks federal lawmakers’ backing, says I have to create state police

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday expressed his administration’s readiness to work with the National Assembly leadership to dismantle political and bureaucratic bottlenecks stalling the operationalisation of state police.

Speaking at the State House, Abuja, during a meeting with members of the Northeast Governors Forum led by Borno State Governor Prof Zulum, the President said the time had come for a clear, collective path towards community-based policing that reflects the peculiar needs of different regions.

“I have been looking at the security situation more carefully. I have seen the Civilian JTF react to the security challenges, finding so many creative ways to protect neighbourhoods and communities around you, and that provoked my thinking about state police again.

“Politics apart, we can discuss with the National Assembly leadership to really look at a critical path to that again, see how we can eliminate or douse political alliances from state police that will be indigenous to the community and provide the additional safety buffer and effectiveness in the area. We have to look at it collectively together.”

The President stressed that while political concerns will always surface around the issue, they must not be allowed to derail urgent security reforms.

He said his government was committed to ensuring that the proposed structure would be insulated from partisanship and designed purely to strengthen safety across communities.

Tinubu also vowed not to allow partisan politics or early campaign distractions to shift his focus from national priorities.

“In the political environment we are being drawn into early political activities from our rival political parties but whichever way it is, I am not detracted. I am solidly focused, laser focused on what is ahead,” he told the governors.

He said the gains already being recorded in the Northeast – including improved security, resettlement of displaced persons, rising school enrolment, and new housing projects – were proof that collaborative governance works.

The president urged the governors to sustain their commitment to development and security while assuring them of continued federal support.

“In the short run of two years, we can beat our chest, the economy has turned round. Many of you are already sending back displaced citizens, the housing programme you embarked upon in Borno and collectively seen how displaced people are returning to their normal residences and having a roof over their head,” the President noted.

Tinubu further highlighted agricultural mechanisation as a priority, disclosing plans to establish training and maintenance centres in all zones of the country to drive food sovereignty.

He also commended Yobe State for producing outstanding students despite the region’s challenges, describing it as a sign of resilience and progress.

The president concluded thanked the governors for their dedication, saying the combined efforts of federal and state governments were laying the foundation for a safer and more prosperous Nigeria.

Zulum, who spoke for the governors, urged the president to prioritise the completion of 17 strategic roads across the region and resume oil exploration in the Kolmani and Lake Chad Basins.

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