The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has issued an official account of the circumstances surrounding the death of Asar Michael Sesugh, an escaped cybercrime suspect who was killed in a gunfight with its operatives in Makurdi on May 21, 2026.
Sesugh was among 26 suspected cyber fraudsters arrested by the EFCC’s Makurdi Zonal Directorate on April 28, 2026. Following their arrest, the suspects were profiled and remanded in custody via a Magistrate Court order pending further investigation.
On May 4, however, Sesugh and two other suspects requested permission to use the lavatory at the Directorate’s holding facility. They exploited the opportunity to break through the toilet’s roof and escape. Repeated efforts to recapture the trio proved unsuccessful.
Nearly three weeks later, on May 21, fresh intelligence placed Sesugh in the Kansho axis of Makurdi. EFCC operatives moved to the location, but upon sighting the team, Sesugh and individuals described by the Commission as suspected cult members opened fire on them.
“Operatives of the Commission returned fire in self-defence,” the EFCC said in a statement. Following the exchange of gunfire, all parties fled the scene. Sesugh was subsequently found lying in a pool of blood by the roadside. He was rushed to the Police Cottage Hospital at the Benue State Police Headquarters in Makurdi, where he was pronounced dead.
The Commission has since reported the incident to the Benue State Police Command, which has launched an investigation into the circumstances of his death. Preliminary findings have been made public by the Police.
The EFCC was emphatic that Sesugh was neither in custody nor on bail at the time of his death, a clarification apparently aimed at countering public speculation about the incident. The Commission offered its condolences to the deceased’s family but warned it “will not condone any further attack of its operatives or breach of its internal security by suspects.”
Efforts to arrest other suspected cult members who fled the scene are ongoing.
