A man wanted by the EFCC in a fraud and cybercrime case died in a shootout with operatives in Makurdi on Thursday.
Atser Sesugh was one of three suspects arrested by the anti-graft agency on April 28, 2026. He and his co-accused had escaped custody five weeks earlier.
Police spokesperson DSP Udeme Edet told journalists that EFCC operatives received a tip about the fugitives. They raided a hideout near Mechanic Village in Kanshio around 3 p.m.
Suspected cultists were at the location and opened fire first. Operatives returned fire as the gunmen fled the scene.
When the shooting stopped, Sesugh lay bleeding on the roadside. Operatives rushed him to Police Cottage Hospital in Makurdi.
Doctors pronounced him dead on arrival. His body has been taken to Benue State University Teaching Hospital mortuary.
Two other suspects remain at large. James Onuh and Solomon Aondoakura Orhena vanished after escaping the EFCC facility on May 4.
Edet's statement didn't say whether those men were at the hideout during Thursday's raid. He gave no details on how they escaped initially.
Benue's Commissioner of Police has ordered an investigation into what happened. The Deputy Commissioner of Police heading the Criminal Investigation Department will lead the probe.
Authorities say they're still hunting for Onuh and Orhena. No timeline was given for their expected arrest.
The EFCC hasn't commented on the incident yet. Officials haven't released details about the original fraud and cybercrime allegations against the three men.
Makurdi residents expressed shock at the shootout. Security concerns in the metropolis have grown in recent months.
