Troops Neutralise Bandits, Destroy Hideouts in Sokoto-Zamfara Border Operations

Troops of Operation Fansan Yamma have recorded fresh success in the fight against insecurity in the North-West, neutralising several bandits and dismantling their hideouts in highland areas bordering Zamfara State, around Dangulbi and Kurawa villages in Tureta Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

A reliable security source disclosed the development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Sokoto, confirming that the operation was carried out on June 4 in collaboration with other security agencies and local vigilante groups.

According to the source, the troops engaged the armed bandits in a fierce gun battle during the clearance mission, leading to the neutralisation of several criminals, including suspected kingpins, while others escaped with gunshot injuries.

The bandits were reportedly forced to retreat into nearby forested areas spanning Sokoto and neighbouring states following the superior firepower and coordinated response from the security forces.

The operation also led to the destruction of multiple criminal hideouts used as operational bases by the armed groups. Security personnel recovered weapons and motorcycles abandoned during the encounter, believed to have been used for attacks and mobility across rural communities.

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The source praised the professionalism and swift response of the troops, noting that their action helped prevent what could have been a major attack on nearby communities.

“The swift response, professionalism, and courage displayed by our military personnel averted what could have been a tragic incident,” the source said, adding that the military remains committed to sustaining pressure on criminal networks operating in the region.

The source further confirmed that the operation involved personnel of the 8 Division under Operation Fansan Yamma, working alongside other security formations and local vigilantes who provided intelligence support and ground assistance during the mission.

Although not officially authorised to speak, the security source revealed that the bandits suffered significant losses during the encounter, as troops maintained dominance throughout the engagement before the criminals fled into surrounding forests.

Operation Fansan Yamma, which covers parts of the North-West theatre of operations, has continued to intensify clearance missions, ambushes and intelligence-driven raids targeting bandit enclaves across Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi and neighbouring states.

NAN recalls that the Special Adviser to Governor Ahmad Aliyu on Security Matters, retired Colonel Ahmad Usman, alongside other stakeholders, had previously commended the Nigerian Army for sustained gains against bandit groups in Sokoto State.

Security authorities reiterated that ongoing operations are aimed at restoring peace, protecting rural communities and dismantling criminal networks that have long exploited the difficult terrain of the region.

The latest offensive underscores renewed military pressure on banditry in Sokoto State and Zamfara axis, as security forces continue coordinated efforts to clear forests and deny armed groups safe havens.

Troops Neutralise Bandits, Destroy Hideouts in Sokoto-Zamfara Border Operations

“My Son Was on Bail” — Mother Accuses EFCC of Killing 16-Year-Old in Makurdi

MAKURDI, Nigeria – As controversy continues to trail the death of 16-year-old Sesugh Atser (also spelled Asar) 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 who sells garri to make a living, 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.”

Sesugh would have turned 17 on December 26, 2026, and was preparing to enter SS1. He had completed his JSS 3 but there was no money to pay for his secondary school education. Just last month, his mother met a school proprietor who agreed to admit him while she 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, her son told her 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.”

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“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.”

In a detailed interview with Saturday PUNCH, Mrs. Asar provided a fuller account of the events leading to her son’s death. According to her, at the time of the alleged arrest, she was not at home because she was at the hospital with her youngest child, who was sick. When Sesugh returned, he told her he had been released by EFCC officials but that they seized his phone and instructed him to bring N100,000 before it would be returned. On the day he was killed, Sesugh was at home with her when a friend came to see him. The two later left together. A few hours later, a neighbor rushed to her house with the devastating news that her son had been shot dead.

According to what she was told, two EFCC operatives who were dressed in plain clothes invited her son’s friend to a hotel in the area where they were staying. Her son accompanied his friend on a motorcycle. When they arrived, Sesugh got down to open the gate and they entered the premises. One of the officers allegedly brought out a gun immediately they saw them. Her son reportedly became frightened and ran. The officers chased him and allegedly shot him at close range. Witnesses said the officials initially attempted to leave the scene, but residents insisted they could not abandon the victim. Even after he was shot, her son was reportedly calling out the name of the officer who shot him while struggling to breathe. “Officer Osazere, you don kill me; officer Osazere you don kill me,” the dying boy reportedly screamed. He asked for water before he was eventually taken away.

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.”

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Abigail Hemba, a 37-year-old aunt to the victim, further narrated what transpired at the hotel. She explained that the operatives, who were in mufti, were in the hotel located behind Mechanic Village, Kanshio, where Sesugh and his friend, Godwin, were asked to go to. According to the account of members of the community, on sighting Sesugh, the operatives started shooting in the air, scaring the boy, before finally shooting directly at him. Philip Udo, the furniture maker under whom Sesugh was apprenticed, corroborated the report by Abigail, adding that he was told by a woman in the community who owns the house where the lad fell and eventually died that Sesugh cried out that he was thirsty and should be given water to drink before he died.

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.

The EFCC has provided a sharply different account of events. The commission’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale, explained that three suspects, including Sesugh, were arrested on April 26, 2026, in connection with fraud and cybercrime offences. According to Oyewale, on May 5, 2026, the three suspects escaped from the EFCC’s holding facility in Makurdi by climbing through the roof while using the toilet.

“For a number of days, we were looking for them until we got intelligence that one of them was somewhere in the Makurdi axis. On getting there, they opened fire on our people,” Oyewale said. “As a defence mechanism, we also had to respond. It was a gun duel; they wanted to kill our operatives, but one of them fell and was taken to the Police Cottage Hospital. We then reported the matter to the police, and they began an investigation. The report of the police investigation is what you saw in their press release.”

“So, we didn’t kill anybody; we are doing our work lawfully, and we made some arrests. Some of them escaped from custody, and we went after them and, in an attempt to arrest those who escaped, they started firing. They wanted to kill our operatives. No law enforcement officer would be faced with such a gun challenge and not respond.”

Addressing the mother’s claim that her son was on bail, Oyewale said, “How could somebody on bail escape from lawful custody? Which bail? Who was his surety? When was he bailed? If he was bailed, why would there be a need for a gun battle? This defies logic. Three of them escaped from lawful custody, and for a number of days, we were looking for them until we got intelligence that one of them was somewhere in the Makurdi axis. On getting there, they opened fire on our people. We are even thankful that none of our operatives lost their lives in the process.”

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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.

The Benue State Police Command, in a statement, described the 16-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.”

Those who knew Sesugh have painted a picture of a diligent, responsible young man who was determined to help his family despite his youth. The Proprietress of New Education Teaching Academy College, Makurdi, 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 completed his BECE, left school and was not able to continue with SS 1, due to financial difficulties. And when he came to see me, I told him to commence a preparatory class on the 15th of June, 2026, before the next session so that he will be able to catch up.”

“He has been obediently coming for the individual lessons waiting for when the preparatory class will start on the 15th of June, 2026,” adding “He has been dutifully attending the private coaching lectures, until his demise.” In a solemn voice, the proprietress said because she did not see him for the private lessons, she decided to check his house to ascertain why he has not come for his tutorials, and that was when she learned of the “ugly incident” that cut his life short.

Philip Udo, the furniture maker under whom Sesugh was apprenticed, described him as hardworking, honest, and committed to learning the trade.

Mrs. Asar has appealed to Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State and relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding her son’s death and ensure justice. “I am still waiting to see my son’s body. He was a source of support and encouragement to me and his younger brothers and sisters. We live in very difficult conditions, yet he always encouraged me to remain hopeful. Whenever I cried about our situation, he would tell me that things would improve with God’s help.”

“Now that dream has been cut short. I want the authorities to release his body so that we can give him a proper burial. Above all, I want justice. The officer who shot my son should be identified and held accountable. My son reportedly mentioned the officer’s name before he died. Those responsible must face the consequences of their actions.”

The death has thrown residents of the Kanshio community into mourning. Residents had intended to embark on a protest march to the EFCC Zonal Office in Makurdi over the killing of the minor but were prevailed upon to shelve the idea and follow lawful channels of seeking redress and justice for the lad. 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.

For readers seeking a quick summary of the key details, the following information has been confirmed. The victim, Sesugh Atser, was 16 years old and would have turned 17 on December 26, 2026. He was shot dead on May 23, 2026, in the Kanshio area of Makurdi, Benue State, at a hotel behind Mechanic Village. His mother, Jennifer Asar, 35, is a single mother of five who sells garri. She alleges her son was on bail, his phone was withheld for a N100,000 ransom, and he was lured to the hotel before being shot at close range by an EFCC operative. The EFCC, through spokesman Dele Oyewale, claims Sesugh and two others escaped from lawful custody on May 5, 2026, and that he was shot during a gun duel after fleeing suspects opened fire on operatives. The Benue State Police Command has ordered an investigation. The victim’s body is at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital mortuary, and his mother has yet to see his corpse.

“My Son Was on Bail” — Mother Accuses EFCC of Killing 16-Year-Old in Makurdi