A staff member of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) mysteriously lost consciousness, slumped and passed away in an undisclosed location in Lagos on Sunday, January 26.
The deceased, whose identity is yet to be disclosed, reportedly worked for the Lagos division of the anti-graft agency.
In a video circulating on social media, the deceased was without a uniform, and it was when Police officers searched him that they saw in an identity card he carried that he was an EFCC officer.
The ranks at the EFCC had formally acknowledged that the late individual was indeed one of its officers.
Authorities to launch full investigation
The PUNCH reported that the commission had launched a full inquiry to unravel all the mystery surrounding the sudden death of one of its officers.
Confirming to reporters who inquired about the identity of the deceased on Monday, the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, confirmed that the incident happened on Sunday.
He said:
“Yes, the man is our officer. His death is being investigated. The incident happened on Sunday.”
This comes at a time when there is a heightened distrust and uproar against Nigerian law enforcement agencies across the country. Just a few weeks ago, EFCC lost an officer in line of duty to a fatal shot by a suspected fraudster.
Yahoo boys open fire on EFCC officers
Legit.ng previously reported that suspected fraudsters, usually known as Yahoo boys in Nigerian parlance, opened fire on an EFCC officer, Assistant Superintendent II Aminu Sahabi Salisu, purportedly when the anti-graft agency personnel began to scale the fence to the suspect’s residence.
The commission asserted that the suspects denied the officer entry when he amicably asked, a claim Nigerians debated online. Many particularly pointed to the time the operation was carried out, midnight, as a legitimate reason and defense for the defendant.
EFCC had since condemned online narratives that seek to justify the actions of the suspect who fatally shot one of its officers during a night operation.
According to the commission’s version of the event, while 37 individuals were arrested, Ikechukwu refused to open his door to investigators despite their identification.
“Defying all the introduction and physical sighting of the investigators, he resorted to firing shots at them,” the EFCC statement said.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Ikechukwu was involved in online medical supplies of questionable legitimacy and other internet fraud activities, the commission said.
The EFCC warned that internet fraudsters are increasingly posing a threat to public safety and security, engaging in activities ranging from kidnapping and banditry to ritual killings.
EFCC set to go after “Yahoo boys” in Nigeria
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it is ready to support the effort to combat internet scams.
This came after hundreds of fraudulent Nigerian Instagram and Facebook accounts were removed by Meta.
The social media giant removed almost 63,000 fake accounts last summer because they were linked to the growing fraud issue.