The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recovered N1.234 billion from Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited and returned the funds to the Enugu State Government.
The commission announced the recovery in a statement shared on its official X account on Wednesday.
The recovery followed a petition by the Enugu State Government after Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited failed to execute a contract for the construction of 22 smart schools, despite receiving more than N2.28 billion as advance payment.
According to the EFCC, the action was taken after a formal request submitted by the Enugu State Government in February 2025.
The petition alleged that the company, led by Olasijibomi Ogundele, diverted funds meant for the schools project and failed to perform on the contract.
EFCC operatives from the Special Task Fraud Section of the Enugu Zonal Directorate investigated the matter and recovered N1,234,350,000 for the state government.
“In line with its commitment to the fight against corruption, economic and financial crimes and the recovery of public funds misappropriated or unutilized by fraudulent actors, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, handed over the sum of N1,234,350,000 to the Enugu State Government,” the commission said.
The EFCC said the money was recovered from Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited for failing to honour its agreement with the state government on the construction of the 22 smart schools.
The commission reiterated its position that contractors handling public funds must comply with the Procurement Act and adhere to standards of accountability and transparency.
The recovered funds were handed over to the Enugu State Government, which commended the EFCC for its investigation and recovery process.
In September 2025, the EFCC declared Mr Ogundele wanted over alleged diversion of funds and money laundering linked to the N5.7 billion 22 Smart Green Schools project.
Ogundele later released a video denying the allegations, attributing delays in the project to economic and operational challenges, including inflation, rising material costs, manpower shortages and security concerns.
He said engineers had been mobilised to site and that work on the project was ongoing.
The Enugu State Government subsequently petitioned the EFCC, alleging that Ogundele became unreachable after receiving 50 percent of the contract sum, leaving the projects incomplete.
The EFCC said investigations revealed minimal work at several sites, with some lacking excavation and structural compliance.
A joint inspection by officials of the Enugu Ministry of Works and the EFCC in May 2025 confirmed the level of work done on the project.
