The Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Construction Limited, Sijibomi Ogundele, has pledged to honour an invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to clear his name after being declared wanted over alleged money laundering and diversion of funds.

In a video released on Friday, shortly after the EFCC notice was made public, Ogundele denied wrongdoing and expressed readiness to defend himself.

“I’m not a thief, I’m not a fugitive. I am going to the EFCC office, to clear my name,” he said tearfully.

The real estate developer explained that the controversy arose from a contract with the Enugu State Government.

“This is a contract between my company and Enugu State Government. Enugu State Government asked me to help them build a couple of things which was very interesting. I was going to the state every week.

“In the middle of the project, the governor said he wanted to build a city and he wanted to build the tallest building in Nigeria,” he said.

Ogundele noted that the matter eventually went to court. “I was in agreement with the government after they took us to court. Now they declared me wanted, they destroyed my company that I built,” he lamented.

He further highlighted how inflation and delays worsened the project’s execution, adding: “In the last five years, prices have gone crazy, something I could have done in two years was delayed.”

Earlier, the EFCC, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, issued a wanted notice against Ogundele. The commission described him as a 43-year-old native of Ekiti State residing in Banana Island, Lagos, and urged the public to provide information on his whereabouts.

The notice accused Ogundele of money laundering and diversion of funds, placing him among high-profile individuals previously declared wanted by the anti-graft agency.