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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Saturday denied claims that Asar Michael Sesugh died in its custody, insisting that Sesugh, who had escaped from detention weeks earlier, was neither in its custody nor on bail when he died.
The clarification came as questions persisted over the circumstances surrounding Sesugh’s death, prompting the anti-graft agency to give its account of how a suspect who escaped from custody weeks earlier was later found dead after a reported exchange of gunfire with operatives in Makurdi, Benue State.
The position was contained in a statement signed by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, and titled, ‘Setting the Records Straight on the Death of Citizen Asar Michael Sesugh.’
Read Also: EFCC Orders Probe Into Alleged Assault Of UUTH Professor
“The Commission wishes to state categorically that the deceased suspect did not die in EFCC custody and was not on bail at any time,” Oyewale said.
According to the Commission, Sesugh was among 26 suspected cybercrime suspects arrested by operatives of its Makurdi Zonal Directorate on April 28, 2026. The suspects were profiled and remanded by a Magistrate Court pending further investigation.
The EFCC said three of the suspects escaped from custody on May 4 after requesting permission to use the lavatory at the Directorate’s holding facility.
“They cashed in on the opportunity, broke the toilet’s roof and escaped from detention. Several efforts were made to re-arrest them to no avail,” the statement said.
According to the EFCC, fresh intelligence received on May 21 indicated that Sesugh was hiding in the Kanshio area of Makurdi, prompting operatives to move to the location.
“Upon sighting the team, Sesugh and his suspected cult members opened fire on them,” Oyewale stated.
The Commission said its operatives returned fire in self-defence, after which all members of the group, including Sesugh, fled the scene.
The EFCC said Sesugh was later found by the roadside in a pool of blood following the exchange. He was immediately taken to the Police Cottage Hospital at the Benue State Police Headquarters in Makurdi, where he was pronounced dead.
The agency said it subsequently reported the incident to the Benue State Police Headquarters, which has opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s death and is also pursuing the other fleeing members of the group.
The Commission also said preliminary findings from the police investigation had already been released to the public.
While extending condolences to Sesugh’s family, the EFCC maintained that it would continue to protect its personnel and facilities against attacks and security breaches.
“It will not condone any further attack on its operatives or breach of its internal security by suspects,” Oyewale said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has ordered an investigation into the altercation between operatives of the commission and the staff of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, UUTH, which allegedly led to the brutalisation of Professor Eyo Ekpe, a foremost cardiologist in Nigeria.
Doctors and other health workers have embarked on an indefinite strike following the incident, which occurred on Tuesday, May 12, although the Chief Medical Director of UUTH, Prof. Ememabasi Bassey, had appealed to the union leaders to return to work for the sake of critically ill patients.
EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Friday, said the commission was outraged by the allegations of brutalisation of staff of the hospital, even though it was yet to see any physical evidence of such brutality in terms of bodily harm or injury to anyone.
Oyewale assured that while awaiting the outcome of the inquiry, any staff member of the commission found to have deviated from the agency’s Standard Operating Procedure would be sanctioned.
Suing for calm, he commended stakeholders who intervened in the matter for its peaceful resolution, urging that fifth columnists should not be allowed to exploit the situation and undermine the fight against corruption in Nigeria.
Giving insight into why operatives of the Uyo Zonal Office visited UUTH, Oyewale said, “The presence of the commission’s operatives in the facility on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, was purely administrative, to facilitate the authentication of a document, rather than a tactical operation to effect an arrest. Contrary to the information making the rounds, no arrests were made and the staff of the hospital who followed our operatives to the zonal command were not detained.
“However, the commission, as a responsible organisation, has ordered an investigation into the incident. While awaiting the outcome of this inquiry, any staff member of the commission found to have deviated from the Standard Operating Procedure of the agency will not be spared.”
Activities at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, UUTH, Akwa Ibom State, were brought to a halt on Tuesday, May 12, following the attempted arrest and eventual arrest of Prof. Effiong Ekpe and three other staff members of the hospital by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Uyo Zonal Office.
It was gathered that EFCC officials, while attempting to arrest Prof. Ekpe, who is the Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, CMAC, on a court warrant, met resistance from other staff members of the hospital, while the hospital security also locked the gate, barring their exit from the facility.
It was further gathered that the operatives called for backup as the atmosphere became tense before the police arrived.
