The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has given its official account of how a suspected cybercrime fugitive died in Makurdi, Benue State — an incident that has sparked a fierce public dispute with the deceased’s family.
Atser Sesugh was among 26 suspected cyber fraudsters arrested by operatives of the EFCC’s Makurdi Zonal Directorate on April 28, 2026. The suspects were profiled and remanded in custody following a court order obtained at a Magistrate’s Court.
According to EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, Sesugh and two other suspects escaped from the directorate’s holding facility on May 4 after requesting permission to use the lavatory, with repeated efforts to re-arrest them proving unsuccessful.
A breakthrough came on May 23, 2026, when credible intelligence indicated the fleeing suspects had been sighted at a hideout behind Mechanic Village in the Kanshio area of Makurdi. EFCC operatives moved in at about 3:00 p.m.
Upon arrival, operatives were met with gunfire from a group of suspected cultists, leading to an exchange of fire before the attackers fled. While retreating from the scene, operatives sighted Sesugh lying in a pool of blood by the roadside.
He was promptly taken to the Police Cottage Hospital at the Police Headquarters in Makurdi, where he was pronounced dead. The EFCC said the incident had been reported to the Benue State Police Command for investigation, stressing that the deceased did not die in its custody.
The EFCC’s account, however, directly contradicts that of the deceased’s mother, Jennifer Atsar, who earlier told reporters her son had been granted bail and was not in EFCC custody when operatives shot him. The EFCC dismissed the bail claim as illogical, asking: “How could somebody on bail escape from lawful custody? Which bail? Who was his surety? This defies logic.”
The conflicting accounts have deepened public demand for a transparent, independent investigation into the true circumstances of Sesugh’s death.
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