Rita Enemuru, Reporting
THE Delta State Police Command has arrested two suspects and recovered two pump-action guns, 18 live cartridges and other dangerous items in separate intelligence-led operations across the state.
The arrests, according to the command, were part of ongoing efforts to curb the proliferation of illegal firearms and combat violent crime.
In the first operation, operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), acting on credible intelligence, stormed a residence in Obiaruku on 12 September 2026 following information that the occupant was in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Joel Iwomi, from Umuebu, Obiaruku, reportedly resisted the operatives’ attempt to gain access to the premises.
The officers, however, gained entry and conducted a search, during which one pump-action gun and 18 live cartridges were recovered.
Iwomi was subsequently arrested and taken into custody, while investigation is ongoing.
In a separate operation conducted on 9 September, operatives of the Command Anti-Cult Unit (CACU) arrested Chukwuka Nzete, also known as “Ododo”, from Isupe Community in Ndokwa West Local Government Area.
Nzete was suspected of involvement in the illegal sale and proliferation of firearms and was also alleged to have operated a shrine where suspected criminal elements were fortified.
A search of his residence led to the recovery of one pump-action gun, four dagger knives, one battle axe and pots containing substances suspected to be charms.
The suspect was taken into custody as detectives commenced investigation to establish the full extent of his activities and possible links with other criminal elements.
The Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Samuel E. Erale, reaffirmed the command’s determination to deny criminal elements access to illicit firearms and other weapons capable of threatening public safety.
He urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly provide credible information about suspicious persons, illegal firearms and criminal activities within their communities.
The police commissioner assured residents that all actionable information would be treated with the necessary confidentiality.
