The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied allegations that a suspected cybercrime suspect, Asar Sesugh, died in its custody, insisting that the teenager was fatally wounded during a gun battle with operatives weeks after escaping from detention in Makurdi, Benue State.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the agency’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the anti-graft commission said Sesugh was among 26 suspected internet fraudsters arrested by operatives of the Makurdi Zonal Directorate on April 28.
According to the EFCC, the suspects were profiled and detained after obtaining a remand order from a magistrate court.
The commission disclosed that on May 4, three of the suspects requested permission to use the restroom but allegedly escaped by breaking through the roof of the detention facility.
Despite efforts to rearrest them, the suspects remained at large until intelligence reports on May 21 indicated that Sesugh was hiding in the Kanshio area of Makurdi.
The EFCC said operatives were deployed to the location to apprehend him.
According to the commission, Sesugh and suspected cult members accompanying him opened fire on the operatives upon sighting them.
Upon sighting the team, Sesugh and his suspected cult members opened fire on them. Operatives of the Commission returned fire in self-defence,” the statement said.
The EFCC stated that although the suspects fled during the exchange, Sesugh was later found lying in a pool of blood by the roadside.
He was reportedly rushed to the Police Cottage Hospital located within the Benue State Police Headquarters, where doctors confirmed him dead.
The commission maintained that Sesugh neither died while in custody nor was he granted bail before the incident.
The dead suspect did not die in custody and was not on bail at any time,” the agency stated.
The EFCC’s account contradicts claims made by the deceased’s mother, Jennifer Atsar, who alleged in an interview with Punch newspaper that her son had earlier been released on bail and was asked to pay N100,000 to retrieve his mobile phone.
According to her, the 16-year-old Junior Secondary School Three student and apprentice furniture maker left home on May 23 after receiving a phone call and accompanied a friend to a hotel where two EFCC operatives in plain clothes were allegedly lodged.
She claimed that one of the officers suddenly pulled out a gun, causing her son to flee before he was allegedly chased and shot at close range.
Mrs Atsar denied allegations linking her son to internet fraud, cultism or drug-related activities, describing him as a hardworking teenager who supported himself through apprenticeship and menial jobs.
She also demanded an independent investigation and called on authorities to release her son’s body to the family.
The Benue State Police Command had earlier stated that Sesugh, alongside James Onuh and Solomon Aondoakura Orhena, escaped from the EFCC detention facility on May 4 after being arrested over alleged cybercrime offences.
Police spokesperson Udeme Edet said EFCC operatives later traced the suspects to a hideout behind the Mechanic Village in the Kanshio area of Makurdi.
According to the police, suspected cultists opened fire on the operatives, leading to a gun battle.
The suspects reportedly escaped, while Sesugh was later discovered bleeding by the roadside and taken to the Police Cottage Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
His body was subsequently deposited at the mortuary of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital for preservation and autopsy.
The Commissioner of Police also ordered the Criminal Investigation Department to probe the incident and intensify efforts to arrest the fleeing suspects.
The controversy surrounding Sesugh’s death is not the first time the EFCC has faced questions over the death of a suspect linked to its custody.
In June 2016, the commission announced the death of Desmond Nunugwo, who was arrested in Abuja over an alleged N91 million fraud.
The EFCC said Nunugwo developed a medical emergency several hours after his arrest and was taken to a hospital, where he was confirmed dead.
The anti-graft agency said the matter was reported to the police for investigation.
While expressing condolences to the family of the deceased, the commission reiterated that it would not tolerate attacks on its personnel or security breaches within its detention facilities.
The agency maintained that Asar Sesugh died during an exchange of gunfire after escaping from custody and rejected reports claiming he died while under EFCC detention.
