Ebenezer Adurokiya, Reporting
THE Delta State Police Command has arrested three suspected cultists and armed robbers in separate operations in Agbarho and Oghara, recovering six firearms, four live cartridges, 10 expended cartridges and other incriminating items.
The arrests, according to the police, followed intelligence-led operations by operatives of the Command Anti-Cultism Unit (CACU), Sector 3, Ovwian-Aladja, and Oghara Police Division.
In the first operation, conducted on November 4, 2026, operatives of CACU Sector 3 arrested a 34-year-old suspect, Akpoghene Goodluck, along the Agbarho-Warri Expressway.
The police said the suspect had attempted to evade the operatives while they were on patrol.
A search of the premises where he was apprehended reportedly led to the recovery of two locally fabricated firearms and 10 expended cartridges.
Further investigation led to the arrest of another suspect, 50-year-old Solomon Arhugberume James, from whose residence a pump-action gun and one live cartridge were recovered.
The two suspects reportedly claimed to be members of the Nigeria Hunters and Forest Security outfit but were unable to produce identification documents to substantiate their claims.
In a separate operation, operatives of the Oghara Police Division arrested a 23-year-old suspected cultist, Clinton Awuerowswo, popularly known as Clinbaby, on October 23, 2026.
The police said Awuerowswo had been at large following the recovery of firearms from his residence on March 23, 2026.
Items recovered from him included a Beretta pistol, two locally made cut-to-size guns, three live cartridges, a battle axe and a jackknife.
During preliminary investigations, the suspect reportedly admitted ownership of the recovered weapons and membership of the Eiye confraternity.
The police said investigations into the cases were ongoing.
The Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Samuel E. Erale, warned against cultism and the unlawful possession of firearms, reaffirming the command’s commitment to sustained operations against criminal groups.
He urged residents to provide credible information to assist the police in preventing and combating crime, assuring them that the identities of informants would be treated with utmost confidentiality.
The latest arrests form part of the command’s sustained efforts to rid Delta State of cult-related activities, illegal firearms and other violent crimes.
