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From Joe Obukata Ogbodu, Warri
Operatives of the State Anti-Cult Unit (SACU) of the Delta State Police Command, in collaboration with community volunteers, have shot dead a suspected kidnapper after a gun battle in Obiaruku, Ukwuani Local Government Area of the state.
The suspect met his waterloo as police intensified patrols in the area following credible intelligence that suspected kidnappers were mobilising within the Obiaruku forest to carry out an attack.
State Police Public Relations Officer SP Bright Edafe, who confirmed this yesterday, said the police team was on patrol on 1 December when they received intelligence about a plot to invade the community.
Acting swiftly on the information, Edafe disclosed that the operatives advanced towards the location to forestall the planned criminal activity.
On approaching the area, the suspects opened fire from multiple directions in a bid to repel the team. Edafe said the operatives responded with superior firepower, leading to the death of one suspect while others escaped into the forest with various degrees of injuries.
One AK-47 rifle with forty-two rounds of live ammunition, nine mobile phones, and charms were recovered.
In a related development, operatives of the CP-Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT), led by Commander ASP Julius Robinson, recorded a series of coordinated breakthroughs between 28 and 29 November 2025 in ongoing efforts to dismantle criminal networks linked to theft, armed violence, and cult-related activities across Ughelli, Oghara, and Sapele.
Edafe said that acting on credible intelligence around the Ekuigbo axis, the team intercepted one of the syndicate’s key actors, Kelvin Oke, male, 42, and recovered a stolen tricycle in his possession.
More coordinated operations led to the arrest of two additional suspects: Victor Oyaye, male, 26, of Otor-Ogor community, identified as the gang leader, and Monday Emakpo, male, 31, of Okpara community, residing in Agbara, Ughelli.
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Another stolen tricycle and a locally made shotgun loaded with six live cartridges were recovered.
Building on this momentum, CP-SAT sustained the offensive into the Oghara–Sapele axis, and on 29 November 2025 at about 2115 hours, acting on further intelligence, operatives stormed the residence of one Jeffery Saint, male, 28, of Ogharake, Oghara.
The suspect attempted to evade arrest but was swiftly restrained. A meticulous search of the premises led to the recovery of a locally fabricated Beretta pistol and fifteen rounds of live ammunition, which were concealed and ready for criminal deployment.
Similarly, on 29 November 2025, operatives of the Eagle Net Special Squad, under the command of SP Danyaya Inusa, were conducting a routine stop-and-search operation around the Northwest Filling Station by Mariam Babangida Junction along the Asaba–Benin Expressway when a seemingly ordinary traffic check turned into a dramatic chase.
The officers quickly closed in and apprehended the fleeing suspect, later identified as Ezekiel Edeya, male, 28, of Emevor in Isoko North LGA.
A thorough search led to the recovery of a red handbag he attempted to discard. Inside the bag were one locally fabricated pistol, three live cartridges, an iron plier, and one screwdriver. Suspects are in custody and investigations are ongoing.
In his remarks, the Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, commended the operatives for their gallantry and appreciated stakeholders for trusting the police with information in the fight against crime.
