EFCC faces public outcry over killing of 16-year-old suspect in Benue

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is facing widespread criticism following the death of a 16-year-old suspect, Sesugh Atser, in Makurdi, Benue State, in an incident that has ignited allegations of an extrajudicial killing.

The agency, in a statement on Saturday, explained that the teenager was among 26 suspected cyber fraudsters arrested on April 28, 2026, and remanded in custody. According to the EFCC, three suspects, including Sesugh, escaped on May 4 after being allowed to use the toilet, breaking through the roof of the facility.

The commission further stated that on May 21, operatives tracking him located him in the Kanshio area, where he and suspected cult members allegedly opened fire on the team. The EFCC claimed its operatives returned fire in self-defence, and Sesugh was later found lying in a pool of blood by the roadside. He was taken to a police clinic where he was pronounced dead.

However, the agency’s account has been met with sharp disbelief on social media, with many questioning how three detainees could escape through a roof undetected and why no immediate manhunt was launched.

The victim’s mother, Jennifer Atser, gave a conflicting narrative. She said her son was a JSS 3 student learning furniture-making and doing menial jobs. She alleged that EFCC operatives had previously arrested him but released him after finding nothing incriminating, though they reportedly kept his phone and demanded N100,000 for its return.

She claimed that on the day he was killed, two EFCC operatives in plain clothes lured him to a hotel, and when he tried to flee, they shot him at close range. She denied that he was a fraudster or cult member, insisting he was on bail at the time.

The incident is the latest in a series of controversial operations by the EFCC, including a raid on a teaching hospital in Uyo last month where tear gas was allegedly deployed, and nightclub raids in Akure that led to mass arrests and public protests. Critics are now renewing calls for an independent investigation into the agency’s tactics.