FactCheck: X Users Claim that EFCC Called ‘Suspected Killer’ of its Officer a Medical Doctor is False
By: Ajibola Osungbohun
Claim: Some X (formerly Twitter) users claimed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) stated the individual responsible for killing one of its officers is a medical doctor.
Verdict: False.
Full Text
On the 21st of January, 2025, an X user with the handle @onomamien tweeted claiming that the “EFCC said that the Killer of the Officer was a Medical Doctor”.
The comment was from a reaction to the post by an online news platform @Nigeria Stories, which tweeted, “Man who k*lled 𝐄𝐅𝐂𝐂 officer is 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫”.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced the tragic killing of its officer and other seriously wounded, after suspected internet fraudsters, known as Yahoo Boys, opened fire on anti-graft operatives in Anambra.
Since then, there has been speculation regarding the identity of the suspect who killed the EFCC officer with some claiming the EFCC publicly identified the killer as a medical doctor. This sparked discussions and further misinformation across social media platforms here and here.
Given the sensitivity of the incident and concerns over misinformation, FactCheckAfrica investigated the claim to provide an accurate report.
Verification:
Findings on the EFCC website revealed that there was nowhere the commission mentioned that the killer of its officer was a Medical Doctor. In a statement by the EFCC’s Head of Media & Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the commission clarified:
“Preliminary investigations showed that Ikechukwu was involved in coding and online medical supplies of doubtful legitimacy.”.
Further verification through credible media outlets, including the Tribune Newspaper, corroborated the EFCC’s statement. These reports reiterated that there was no indication the suspect was a medical doctor.
Conclusion:
The claim that the EFCC identified the killer of its officer as a medical doctor is false. The commission’s official statements and verified media reports do not support this assertion. Instead, the suspect’s activities involved fraudulent online dealings linked to medical supplies.
