The Enugu State Government has recovered the sum of N1.27 billion from Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited following investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, into an abandoned contract awarded to the company.
The recovered funds were formally handed over to the state government on Wednesday when the anti-graft agency presented cheques to Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, Secretary to the state government, while assuring that further recoveries were ongoing.
The EFCC said the refund followed its investigation into an unexecuted N5.7 billion contract for the construction of 22 Smart Green Schools across Enugu State, allegedly abandoned by the company after receiving a substantial mobilisation fee.
DAILY GAZETTE recalls that the commission had earlier obtained a court order permitting it to detain the Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, Sijibomi Ogundele, in connection with the matter.
According to investigators, Ogundele received 50 percent of the total contract sum, amounting to N5,762,565,475.25, paid by the Enugu State Government in February 2025 to accelerate work across all project sites.
Authorities allege that after collecting the funds, the developer failed to return to the sites, abandoned the projects and ignored several requests for accountability from both the state government and the EFCC.
The EFCC further disclosed that Ogundele was declared wanted on September 5 after repeatedly failing to honour summons issued by the commission.
Before eventually turning himself in, the Sujimoto CEO took to social media, where he defended his actions, claiming the contract was underpriced and that inflation made execution impossible.
In response, the Enugu State Government issued a detailed statement disputing his claims, insisting that the contract terms were clear and accusing the developer of disappearing after receiving the mobilisation payment without delivering commensurate work on any of the sites.
At the handover ceremony, EFCC officials reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to recovering all outstanding public funds linked to the project and ensuring accountability.
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