Public outrage is growing following the death of 16-year-old Sesugh Atser, a JSS 3 student who died while in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The incident, which took place in May 2026 in the Kanshio area of Makurdi, Benue State, has triggered allegations of extrajudicial killing and sparked widespread demands for an independent investigation.
On social media, Nigerians have flooded X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the anti-graft agency.
In response, the EFCC issued a statement on Saturday detailing its version of events.
The commission stated that its Makurdi Zonal Directorate arrested 26 cybercrime suspects on April 28, 2026, who were later profiled and remanded by a court.
According to the agency, Sesugh and two other suspects escaped on May 4 by breaking through a facility toilet roof.
The EFCC later shared images on X showing a damaged ceiling to back up the claim.
The agency further alleged that on May 21, intelligence tracked Sesugh to a hideout in Kanshio, claiming that upon the arrival of its operatives, Sesugh and suspected cult members opened fire on the team.
“Operatives of the commission returned fire in self-defence. All the suspected cult members, including Sesugh, fled owing to the exchange of fire between them and EFCC operatives.
“However, Sesugh was later sighted 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 commission emphasised that Sesugh did not die in custody and was never granted bail.
However, the EFCC’s official account was met with deep skepticism and outright rejection.
Nigerians raised immediate logistical questions, wondering how three detainees could break through a roof and escape a secured facility completely undetected.
Many also questioned why the agency failed to launch an immediate manhunt or declare the suspects wanted at the time.
Highlighting the public disbelief, activist Rinu Oduala posted, “A 17-year-old boy opened fire? He was first a fraudster, then a cult member who broke a toilet roof and escaped from your own custody, in your own office?”
Another social media user pointed out the contradictions in the narrative, commenting, “Everybody allegedly ran away. Then later, the same suspect was ‘sighted lying in a pool of blood by the roadside.’ Did the bullet chase him on its own?”
A third user said, “From suspected fraudsters to suspected cultists. I wonder how you guys sleep at night, considering how you’ve ruined someone else’s life. What a country.”
Another said, “This story isn’t believable. This entire write-up is nonsensical. Please go back and investigate the death of this young man.”
Reacting, the victim’s mother, Jennifer Atsar, described her son as a hardworking JSS 3 student who was learning furniture-making and doing menial jobs to support the family.
According to her, EFCC operatives had previously arrested Sesugh but later released him after finding nothing incriminating, though they allegedly retained his phone and demanded N100,000 for its return.
She said that on the day he was killed, a friend came to their house and went out with him.
“A few hours later, one of my neighbours rushed to my house and said they had killed my son,” she said.
“I was told that two EFCC operatives, dressed in mufti, contacted my son’s friend and asked him to come to a hotel located within the community where they were staying.
“When they arrived at the hotel on a motorcycle, Sesugh got down, opened the gate, and they rode inside. Upon seeing them, one of the EFCC officers drew a gun. My son ran when he saw the gun, and they chased and shot him at close range.
“As soon as my son was shot, the officials tried to leave, but people in the area insisted that the EFCC should go with the body. My son was still calling the name of the officer who shot him while gasping for breath.
“He asked for water, but the people insisted they must take him along, so they ordered a vehicle and took him to the Police Headquarters in Makurdi,” she added.
The grieving mother, who said she had not yet seen her son’s corpse, insisted he was on “bail” and not in custody at the time of the incident.
She denied EFCC claims that Sesugh was a fraudster, describing it as a fabrication meant to justify his killing.
The anti-graft agency’s aggressive crackdown on cybercrime has increasingly bled into civilian life, triggering a wave of backlash over alleged human rights violations.
From hospitals to nightclubs, the EFCC’s recent track record has been marred by accusations of property damage, indiscriminate arrests, and a total disregard for due process.
A flashpoint occurred last month at the Uyo Teaching Hospital. What began as an EFCC investigation into a suspect’s medical report quickly devolved into a battlefield.
Operatives reportedly fired gunshots and tear-gassed the hospital interior after staff resisted their entry. Senior medical personnel, including Prof. Effiong Ekpe, were allegedly assaulted, causing mass panic among patients.
The fallout was immediate: an indefinite healthcare strike and a ₦1 billion legal threat from the Nigerian Medical Association.
This hospital raid is part of a broader, more disruptive trend. In Akure, a sweep of two nightclubs disrupted a bachelor’s eve celebration and ended with the mass arrest of up to 127 people.
Witnesses claimed operatives ripped out CCTV networks and seized vehicles and phones, sparking furious street protests.
Meanwhile, a relentless wave of midnight raids on residential homes and student hostels across Edo State and Kwara Polytechnic between 2025 and 2026 has pushed local youth to the brink, culminating in major protests at the Edo State House of Assembly against systemic profiling and illegal searches.
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