The Delta State Police Command has recorded remarkable progress in its fight against crime across the state, following a series of coordinated intelligence-led operations that resulted in the arrest of more than 90 suspects and the recovery of several firearms, ammunition, and illicit drugs within the month of September.
The Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Abaniwonda S. Olufemi, made this known during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters, Asaba, where he briefed journalists on the achievements of the Command.
He explained that the period under review had witnessed intensified efforts to curb kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, drug trafficking, and the vandalization of churches.
The Commissioner stated that the Command had adopted strategic deployments and strengthened intelligence networks to tackle emerging security challenges across the state, particularly in Sapele and Asaba.
According to CP Abaniwonda, operatives of the Command had, on several occasions, engaged criminal gangs in fierce encounters that led to the recovery of dangerous weapons.
He disclosed that the CP-Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT) had successfully tracked down suspected kidnappers operating around the Upper-Agbarho axis of Ughelli and its environs. Acting on credible intelligence, the team extended its operation to Rivers and Imo States, where two suspects, identified as Abubakar Musa and Yusuf Sale, were arrested. Their arrest led to the recovery of an AK-47 rifle, two magazines, forty-three rounds of live ammunition, a pump-action gun, and a locally made pistol.
The Commissioner added that during an attempt by other members of the gang to ambush the police and free the suspects, a gun duel ensued, leading to the neutralization of some of the criminals while two police officers sustained gunshot injuries and were receiving treatment.
In another operation, the Command’s Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cybercrime Squad rescued a kidnap victim at Ogwashi-Uku after he had been abducted from his home and shot in the leg despite paying a ransom of two million naira.
CP Abaniwonda explained that the operatives trailed the suspects to their hideout, where they arrested two men identified as Chukwuebuka Nka and Uche Okechukwu. Their arrest led to the recovery of the victim’s white Venza SUV, a Toyota Matrix used for operations, and a network jammer circuit device.
Speaking further, the Commissioner noted that the Eagle-Net Special Squad, in synergy with the Office of the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Illicit Drugs and Human Trafficking, intercepted a truck driven by a 52-year-old suspect, Dennis Uruma, along the Asaba-Benin road. The vehicle was found to be loaded with large quantities of suspected illicit drugs, and the suspect was immediately taken into custody for further investigation.
He revealed that the Command, in collaboration with Operation Delta Sweep, had also neutralized two suspected kidnappers during a joint operation at Boji-Boji Owa, where an AK-47 rifle with forty rounds of live ammunition and two magazines were recovered.
CP Abaniwonda also addressed concerns over the rising cases of vandalism in churches, noting that a syndicate specialized in burgling churches at night had been dismantled. The police, acting on intelligence, intercepted a Toyota Sienna van with two suspects, Emmanuel Emiowor and Noah Philip, along with firearms and tools used in breaking into church premises.
He said the suspects confessed to being part of a gang responsible for stealing church musical instruments worth millions of naira, many of which have been recovered.
The Commissioner further disclosed that the Command had intensified its fight against cultism, leading to several arrests in Jesse, Ibusa, and Asaba. A combined team of the State Anti-Cult Unit stormed a hideout in Jesse town and arrested twelve suspects with firearms, including a Beretta pistol and live ammunition.
Similarly, operatives in Ibusa arrested one Oluwatobi Olugbemi, who was found in possession of a loaded Beretta pistol and confessed to being a member of a notorious confraternity.
In another operation, the police rescued a teenage girl identified as Rebecca Mathew, who had been abducted from Niger State by one Bila Halili. The suspect, aged 30, reportedly hypnotized the victim and destroyed her SIM card to prevent her from contacting her family. Acting on intelligence, operatives from Agbor Division raided the suspect’s residence in Oza Nogogo, rescued the girl, and reunited her with her parents after weeks of being missing.
CP Abaniwonda also spoke on the arrest of several armed robbery suspects across the state. He said that operatives of Ekpan Police Station, acting on intelligence, arrested a suspect identified as Lucky Ebroghro and recovered an AK-47 rifle concealed in an uncompleted building. Similarly, the Rapid Response Squad apprehended three young men in Asaba in possession of a fabricated Beretta pistol, while operatives of ‘B’ Division, Asaba, arrested another suspect involved in a robbery incident and recovered a locally made gun.
The Commissioner added that a combined team from Ogwashi-Uku Division and local vigilantes intercepted three young men riding on a motorcycle and recovered an English pistol loaded with two live rounds.
He further mentioned that operatives of the Eagle-Net Special Squad, in conjunction with the Nigeria Hunters Forest Security Service, arrested 27 suspects at a hideout in Asaba-Benin road, recovering illicit drugs and locally made firearms.
In summarizing the Command’s efforts, CP Abaniwonda disclosed that within the period under review, the police recovered a total of sixteen firearms, ninety-four rounds of ammunition and cartridges, one truck loaded with illicit drugs, and arrested ninety-five suspects across various divisions.
He commended the synergy between the police, vigilante groups, and residents for their cooperation and vigilance, emphasizing that the successes recorded were products of intelligence sharing and community partnership.
The Commissioner urged Deltans to remain alert and report suspicious persons or movements to the nearest police station or through the Command’s control room number: **08036684974**.
While expressing his appreciation to officers and men of the Command for their dedication, CP Abaniwonda reaffirmed the Delta State Police Command’s commitment to sustaining the fight against criminality and ensuring that all communities across the state remain safe for law-abiding citizens.