The Delta State Police Command has intensified its crackdown on violent crime with the arrest of eight suspected armed robbers, cultists and an alleged gunrunner in separate operations across the state, recovering four locally made firearms, four live cartridges, one expended cartridge and other dangerous weapons.
The operations, carried out in Asaba, Ogwashi-Uku and Oghara, form part of the command’s sustained offensive against armed robbery, cultism and the proliferation of illegal firearms.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, operatives acting on credible intelligence, in collaboration with members of the Civilian Anti-Cult Group, arrested two suspected armed robbers along the Asaba-Benin Expressway at about 5:00 a.m. on July 14.
The suspects were identified as Stephen Danladi, 29, from Langtang Local Government Area of Plateau State, and Jude Christian, 26, from Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
Police said a search conducted on the suspects led to the recovery of two locally made pistols.
Further investigation reportedly led officers to Issele-Asagba in Oshimili North Local Government Area, where Jerry Egenus was arrested for allegedly serving as a gunrunner and receiver of stolen property.
Preliminary investigations linked the suspects to a criminal gang allegedly responsible for a series of armed robbery attacks in Okpanam, Asaba and surrounding communities, where mobile phones, motorcycles and other valuables were stolen.
In a separate operation on July 12, operatives of the Oghara Division intercepted a silver Lexus RX330 SUV with registration number GRA-168AM during a surveillance patrol.
The four occupants of the vehicle were searched, leading to the recovery of a locally made cut-to-size gun concealed on the driver and one live cartridge found inside the vehicle. The four suspects were immediately arrested and are currently under investigation.
Similarly, on July 10, police operatives attached to the Ogwashi-Uku Division responded to a distress call around the Polytechnic area, where they arrested a 24-year-old non-student suspected to be a member of the Eiye Confraternity.
Recovered from the suspect were one locally made pistol, three live cartridges, one expended cartridge and a dagger knife.
The suspect and all recovered exhibits remain in police custody as investigations continue.
Reacting to the operations, the Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, reaffirmed the command’s determination to sustain intelligence-led policing aimed at dismantling criminal gangs, combating cultism and reducing the proliferation of illegal firearms across Delta State.
He appealed to residents to continue supporting the police with timely, credible and actionable information, assuring them that the command would remain relentless in protecting lives and property throughout the state.