EFCC arrests Benue governor’s aide over alleged sextortion, cyberbullying of female students

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Dr. Mkor Aondona, the Special Adviser to the Governor of Benue State on Documentation, Research, and Planning, over grave allegations of sextortion, cyberbullying, and blackmail involving several female students.

According to a statement from the Makurdi Zonal Directorate of the EFCC, Aondona was arrested on Friday, June 20, 2025, following multiple petitions from victims who accused the governor’s aide of criminal sexual exploitation, covert recording, and digital harassment.

The victims alleged that Dr. Aondona routinely lured young, slim, and attractive female students under the pretext of recruiting them for ushering jobs, only to demand sexual favors as a precondition for selection.

The complaints further revealed that while the victims engaged in sexual relations with him—believing the encounters were private—Aondona secretly recorded the acts without their consent. These recordings were then allegedly used to coerce the victims into continued sexual activity, with threats to leak the footage if they refused.

“He used the recordings as blackmail tools,” an EFCC official familiar with the investigation said. “Some of the explicit videos are now in circulation across messaging platforms, further compounding the emotional and reputational damage to the victims.”

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EFCC sources confirmed that several digital devices belonging to Aondona have been seized and are currently undergoing forensic analysis. The commission is also working to trace the source and extent of the video circulation and assess the level of data privacy breaches and psychological trauma inflicted on the victims.

The case has sparked outrage within civil society and women’s rights groups, with calls for swift justice and stricter oversight of political aides who exploit their positions of power.

As of press time, the Benue State Government had not issued an official response to the arrest or the serious allegations against one of its senior aides. However, sources within Government House in Makurdi hinted that an internal inquiry may be launched pending the outcome of EFCC’s investigation.

Dr. Aondona is expected to face charges relating to cybercrime, invasion of privacy, non-consensual pornography, and abuse of office, among others, upon the conclusion of the EFCC’s preliminary probe.

The EFCC urged any additional victims or individuals with relevant information to come forward and assist with the ongoing investigation.