…My innocent son will not rest until his killers are brought to justice
…He was a fugitive —Police
By Peter Duru, Makurdi
As controversy continues to trail the death of 17-year-old Sesugh Atser during an encounter with operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Makurdi, Benue State, his grieving mother and relatives are demanding justice and a full account of the circumstances that led to his death.
For 35-year-old Jennifer Asar, a mother of five, the pain remains fresh and overwhelming. Since news of her son’s death broke, she said she has been unable to sleep and has yet to see his body.
Speaking amid uncontrollable tears, the single mother recounted her struggles and the devastating impact of her son’s death.
“I can hardly sleep since his death and I have not seen his corpse,” she said.
“I sell garri to take care of my children since I parted ways with my husband.
“I was at home when people were spreading stories about my son’s death without informing me. When I eventually found out, I asked why they failed to tell me that my son was no more.
“I was told that he was killed on May 23. I had not seen him for about two weeks before his death was announced. I did not go looking for him because one of his friends came to pick him.
“He would have turned 17 in December and was preparing to enter SS1. He finished JSS, but there was no money to pay for his secondary school education. Just last month, I met a school proprietor who agreed to admit him while I paid the fees in installments.
“My son was a good boy. He sometimes worked at building sites to support me and was also learning furniture making.
“Though I was not there when he was killed, I was told he was shot dead by an EFCC officer.” She alleged that “before his death, my son told me that the EFCC had arrested him and later released him but kept his phone, directing him to raise N100,000 before it would be returned.
“When I heard about his death, I went to the ‘B’ Division Police Station and the State Police Headquarters, but I did not get any meaningful information.
“After that, I could not continue searching for him because one of his siblings was sick and I was overwhelmed by grief. So, the chairman of our community and some youths took it upon themselves to find out what had happened.
“They went to the EFCC office and were told to return on Monday because their visit was on a Saturday. I did not go with them.
“Since they killed my son, I have not seen his corpse. That boy promised me he would go to school and make me proud, but now he is gone. The spirit of my son will not rest until the man who killed him is removed and made to face the law.
“Please look at the shanty where I live with my children. Does it look like the home of someone with money? We could not even afford his school fees, yet they branded him a fraudster and killed him.
“I am asking them to make public the amount of money they claimed was found in my son’s account because he was underage when he died. He was not a cultist and he was not a fraudster.”
A relative of the deceased, Mr. Philip Udo, said family members visited the EFCC office to seek clarification over the incident.
According to him, they met with the acting Zonal Head of the commission who gave an account of events.
“We were told that Sesugh and two others escaped from EFCC detention during a rainstorm,” Udo said.
“They said undercover operatives later traced Sesugh and his friends to a hotel at Gberindyer settlement in Makurdi and that upon sighting the officers, the boys opened fire on them. They also read what they claimed was a statement made by Sesugh when he was first arrested.
“They alleged that he was involved in internet fraud. We are all shocked by the manner in which he was killed.
“We gathered from residents of the area where he died that the claim that he exchanged gunfire with EFCC officials was completely false.
“We were told that after he was shot, he cried out and told the officer who shot him in the chest that he had killed him. He was reportedly asking for water.
“Residents said the operatives initially wanted to abandon him in his own pool of blood, but people in the neighbourhood, who did not know who they were, insisted on his evacuation. It was at that point that other EFCC personnel arrived in official uniforms and took him to the Police Cottage Hospital.”
Also speaking, the Proprietress of New Education Teaching Academy College, Mrs. Mimidoo Aondongu, became emotional while recounting her interaction with the deceased and his mother.
According to her, Jennifer Asar visited the school on April 22 seeking admission for her son. “The mother told me that he stopped school after JSS because there was no money for him to continue,” she said.
“She wanted him to be registered with the assurance that she would pay the fees in installments. I agreed because I discovered that he was intelligent and eager to learn. I also advised that he begin preparatory lessons ahead of his planned resumption in June.
“He started attending the lessons and was consistent until I suddenly stopped seeing him. It was when I came to this house to find out why he had stopped attending classes that I discovered what had happened.
“His mother is a petty garri trader and intended to pay his fees from her earnings. I sympathized with her because the boy was brilliant, and I wanted to ensure he did not drop out of school. Unfortunately, this tragic development occurred.”
Although the Makurdi Zonal Office of the EFCC has yet to issue an official statement on the matter, an official of the commission who spoke anonymously maintained that there was no intention to kill the teenager.
“He was an escapee from our detention facility and was wanted. We cannot really say whose bullet killed him because there was shooting directed at our personnel,” the official said.
Meanwhile, the Benue State Police Command, in a statement, described the 17-year-old as a fugitive and provided its version of events.
The statement read: “The Benue State Police Command wishes to inform the general public of an incident involving the death of one Sesugh Atser, who was involved in a fraud and cybercrime case being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“Reports made available to the Commissioner of Police indicate that on April 28, 2026, personnel of the EFCC Makurdi arrested three suspects, James Onuh, Sesugh Atser and Solomon Orhena, in connection with fraud and cybercrime offences.
“The suspects reportedly escaped from lawful custody at the EFCC Makurdi facility on May 4, 2026, and went into hiding. On May 23, 2026, at about 3pm, credible intelligence was received that the fleeing suspects had been sighted at a hideout behind Mechanic Village in Kanshio, Makurdi.
“Upon arrival at the scene, operatives reportedly encountered a group of young men suspected to be cultists who opened fire on them and escaped during the exchange of gunfire that followed.
“While withdrawing from the scene, EFCC operatives sighted one of the escapees, Atser Sesugh, lying in a pool of blood by the roadside. The suspect was immediately evacuated and taken to the Police Cottage Hospital, Makurdi, where he was confirmed dead. His remains have since been deposited at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
“The Commissioner of Police has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. Efforts are also ongoing to apprehend the other fleeing suspects.
“The Commissioner of Police assures the public of a thorough investigation and reiterates the Command’s commitment to upholding the rule of law.”
As conflicting accounts continue to emerge, the death of the teenager has sparked public concern and renewed calls for transparency, accountability and a thorough investigation to establish exactly what transpired on the day Sesugh Atser lost his life.
