EFCC Faces Severe Scrutiny Following Fatal Shooting of Escaped Teen Cybercrime Suspect

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has come under intense public scrutiny and widespread condemnation following the fatal shooting of a sixteen-year-old cybercrime suspect, Sesugh Atser, in Makurdi, Benue State. The anti-graft agency has faced mounting allegations of extrajudicial killing and immediate calls for an independent inquiry after the teenager was found dead shortly after an armed encounter with operatives. Seeking to manage the fallout, the commission issued an official statement through its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, detailing their account of the events leading up to the tragedy, a narrative that has already been met with deep public skepticism.

According to the anti-graft agency's official account, the sequence of events began on 28 April 2026, when operatives attached to the Makurdi Zonal Directorate arrested twenty-six suspected internet fraudsters, including the teenage suspect. Following their profiling, the suspects were formally remanded in custody under a legitimate court order obtained from a local Magistrate's Court. However, on 4 May 2026, Atser and two other detainees allegedly exploited a security loophole after requesting permission to use the lavatory at the holding facility, reportedly breaking through the toilet's roof structure to stage a successful escape from the detention facility.

The agency stated that its intelligence tracking paid off on 21 May 2026, when teams located the fugitive hiding within the Kanshio axis of Makurdi. The EFCC claims that upon arriving at the scene, the tactical team was immediately ambushed by Atser and a group of suspected cult associates who opened fire on the officers. Law enforcement personnel reportedly returned fire in self-defence, causing the entire group to scatter and flee into the surrounding neighborhood during the chaotic gun battle. Investigators note that Atser was subsequently discovered lying in a pool of blood by the roadside and was rushed to the Police Cottage Hospital at the Police Headquarters in Makurdi, where medical professionals officially pronounced him dead. The commission has strongly emphasized that the teenager did not die while in official custody and had never been granted bail, though civil society groups continue to demand a transparent investigation into the use of lethal force.