FROM the dense forests of Obiaruku to bustling urban corridors in Asaba, Agbor and Warri axis, 2025 has been a defining year for policing in Delta State.
In a sweeping account of security operations spanning eleven months, the Delta State Police Command has laid bare the scale, intensity and impact of its crackdown on crime — a campaign that left one suspected kidnapper dead, 627 suspects behind bars, and a staggering cache of 144 firearms out of circulation.
At the heart of the Command’s narrative is a clear message: organised crime networks in Delta State have come under sustained pressure through intelligence-led operations, community partnerships and tactical enforcement.
According to Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, the Command recovered 6,930 rounds of ammunition, dismantled multiple armed gangs, rescued 18 kidnapped victims and retrieved N36 million in ransom paid by desperate families.
The arrests cut across Nigeria’s most persistent security threats:
140 suspected armed robbers, 113 suspected kidnappers, 125 murder suspects, 187 suspected cultists, 62 suspects linked to rape and defilement.
For a state long grappling with cult violence, kidnapping and armed robbery, the figures reflect a year of relentless pressure on criminal enterprises.
One of the most dramatic encounters occurred in the early hours of 1 December 2025, when operatives of the State Anti-Cult Unit (SACU), acting on intelligence, stormed the Obiaruku forest after reports of suspected kidnappers.
What followed was a fierce exchange of gunfire. One suspect was killed, while others fled into the forest with gunshot wounds.
Recovered at the scene were an AK-47 rifle, 42 live rounds of ammunition, nine mobile phones and assorted charms — grim reminders of how deeply armed criminal groups remain embedded in forested hideouts.
Perhaps the most emotionally charged case of the year was the murder of retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu, killed in her residence on 24 November 2025.
Within days, homicide detectives from the State CID closed in on the suspects.
A chilling twist emerged when investigators arrested a 25-year-old security guard attached to the late jurist’s home.
One of her stolen mobile phones led police to Ogbogonogo Market in Asaba, cracking the case open.
The suspects reportedly confessed to tying the retired judge before murdering her and disposing of her belongings for a paltry sum.
While two suspects are now in custody, a manhunt continues for a third accomplice.
Across Ughelli, Oghara, Sapele and Abraka, the CP-Special Assignment Team dismantled armed robbery and cult-linked cells.
Arrests followed carefully coordinated intelligence operations, yielding locally fabricated weapons, pump-action guns, cartridges and stolen tricycles often used for quick getaways.
In one Abraka operation, police arrested a 67-year-old suspect and recovered two pump-action guns and 39 live cartridges — a reminder that age is no barrier in the criminal underworld.
Beyond guns and kidnappers, the police turned their attention to drug dens feeding addiction and crime.
A late-night raid in Agbor on 10 December led to the arrest of 161 suspects — 110 males and 51 females — at a notorious drug hub.
Seized substances ranged from “Nigeria Loud” and “Canadian Loud” to codeine, tramadol and other controlled drugs.
Days later, operatives intercepted a commercial bus along the Asaba–Onitsha route, uncovering 109 bottles of codeine and cartons of tramadol.
In total, the Command recovered:
27 AK-47/AK-49 rifles, 25 Beretta pistols, 56 single-barrel and cut-to-size guns, and 36 pump-action guns.
For security analysts, removing such firepower from circulation represents a significant disruption to criminal logistics.
CP Abaniwonda attributed the successes to collaboration with vigilante groups, anti-cult volunteers, traditional rulers, civil society organisations and community leaders.
He reaffirmed the Command’s alignment with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to sustain professionalism and proactive policing nationwide.
As the festive season approaches, the police say they are on full alert, urging residents to remain vigilant and to report suspicious activity through designated emergency lines.
For Delta State, 2025 may be remembered as the year law enforcement pushed back hard — not just with arrests and seizures, but with a clear signal that criminal safe havens, whether in forests, markets or city backstreets, are increasingly shrinking.
