Rita Enemuru, Reporting
THE Delta State Police Command has recorded significant breakthroughs in its ongoing anti-kidnapping and anti-cultism operations, with the arrest of 10 suspects and the recovery of arms, ammunition, illicit substances and a stolen vehicle.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, said operatives of the Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cybercrime Squad (SAKCCS) arrested five suspected members of a kidnapping and armed robbery syndicate during an intelligence-led operation carried out in the early hours of Tuesday, 20 January 2026.
According to the police, the operation, which commenced at about 4:30 a.m., followed credible intelligence linking the suspects to cases of kidnapping and armed robbery in Obinoba, Obiaruku, Abraka, Ororokpe and neighbouring communities.
Acting on the intelligence, the operatives tracked a suspect to a notorious criminal hideout along the Jedo/Ugboton–Warri axis.
On storming the location, the police arrested the alleged ringleaders, identified as Oke Jerry Ekokodjie and one Ibori, whose surname is yet to be ascertained, alongside three other suspects.
Some members of the gang reportedly escaped through adjoining creeks and waterways.
A search of the hideout led to the recovery of one locally fabricated Beretta-style pistol loaded with three rounds of 9mm live ammunition, a black Mercedes-Benz GLK vehicle, a battle axe, illicit substances in commercial quantities and a Point-of-Sale (POS) machine.
The command also announced the arrest of five suspected cultists during a separate operation carried out on Thursday, 22 January 2026, at about 2:56 a.m. Operatives from the Obiaruku Division raided a suspected cultists’ hideout at Amai Community in Ndokwa East Local Government Area.
The suspects were identified as Frank Etiyemonu, 36; Chinedu Emeka, 25; Festus Nwadiche, 26; Azuju Onowu, 29; and Ozor Blessing, 29.
Items recovered from the hideout include one locally made pistol, two battle axes, quantities of Indian hemp and other suspected hard drugs, as well as other dangerous weapons.
All the suspects are currently in police custody and are undergoing further investigation, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the criminal gangs.
Commending the operatives for their professionalism and effective use of actionable intelligence, the Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Aina Adesola, reaffirmed the command’s determination to rid the state of criminal elements through sustained, proactive and intelligence-driven policing.
The police boss urged residents of the state to remain vigilant and to continue to support the police with timely and credible information, assuring them of strict confidentiality.
