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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has confirmed the death of an escaped cybercrime suspect, Asar Sesugh, following a gun battle between EFCC operatives and suspected cult members in Makurdi, Benue State. The commission said the incident occurred during an operation to re-arrest the suspect after he reportedly escaped from the agency’s holding facility earlier in May. The clarification was issued amid widespread social media reports alleging that the suspect died while in EFCC custody.
According to a statement by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, Sesugh was among 26 suspected internet fraudsters arrested by the Makurdi Zonal Directorate on April 28, 2026, and later remanded by a Magistrate’s Court. The commission explained that on May 4, Sesugh and two other suspects requested permission to use the restroom, allegedly broke through the roof of the facility, and escaped. After weeks of intelligence gathering, operatives reportedly traced him to the Kansho area of Makurdi on May 21, where they came under gunfire from Sesugh and his alleged associates. The EFCC said its officers returned fire in self-defence before the suspects fled the scene.
The anti-graft agency stated that Sesugh was later found lying injured by the roadside and was immediately taken to the Police Cottage Hospital in Makurdi, where he was pronounced dead by medical personnel. The commission stressed that the suspect was neither on bail nor in its custody at the time of the incident, adding that the matter had been officially reported to the Benue State Police Command for further investigation. EFCC officials also reiterated that the agency would not tolerate attacks on its operatives or breaches of its detention facilities.
The development follows conflicting accounts surrounding the teenager’s death, with his mother earlier alleging that EFCC operatives had killed her son after he had been released on bail. She maintained that he was not an internet fraudster and called for justice, while the commission insisted that its version of events was supported by ongoing police investigations. The case has generated significant public attention and renewed debate over law enforcement operations, the treatment of suspects, and the need for transparent investigations into controversial security incidents in Nigeria.
