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• Delta police sustain fight against robbers, cultists, others
From Ben Dunno, Warri
The war against insecurity in the Niger Delta is assuming another dimension. This has made Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abaniwonda Surajudeen Olufemi, to warn youths in the state to desist from being used by criminals.
He also admonished parents and guardians to keep a close watch on the type of friends their children and wards keep for their own good. He then sent “disciplinarian signals” to his officers and men.
This was after he summoned all Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and commanders of various special units and tactical squads to Asaba. He where he read riot acts to them on keeping inline with the policy direction and strategic mandate of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Olukayode Egbetokun, on zero tolerance on crimes and indiscipline.
Not too long thereafter, the wake-up call to duty by Abaniwonda began to yield results. It took off with crime bursting breakthroughs in major towns and cities across the state. Residents, security watchers and transparency advocacy groups described the breakthroughs as “highly remarkable in a short period of time.”
Abaniwonda recounted the arrest of suspected armed robbers in Orerokpe, where the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and his men followed a lead from a tricycle operator robbed to the clampdown on the hideout of the deadly gang reported to have terrorised residents of Warri, Effurun and environs.
He hinted on how operatives of the Eagle-Net Special Squad in one of its routine operations on February 17 2024, along Asaba-Ibusa Road, flagged down a Sienna commercial vehicle going to Onitsha, Anambra State: “In the course of the stop-and-search, police discovered 175 rounds of live cartridges from one Efe, in Oris Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government.”
The arrest of armed robbery suspects was major. The first was recorded in Bomadi where there had been reported cases of armed robbery incidents. The DPO and his team, who reportedly acted on intelligence lead, invaded the hideout of the criminals and arrested seven suspects involved in robbery in the area.
The suspects who are still in police custody confessed to be members of Bobos, Greenlander and Icelanders confraternities. Items recovered from them included four cutlasses, two daggers and one axe.
There was the arrest of a suspected cultist, Okolugbo, by the operatives of the State Anti-Cult Unit (SACU) in Ukwani Council area. He was in possession of one locally made single barrel, cut to size, with cartridges. He confessed to be a member of the dreaded Arrow Bagger Confraternity terrorising the community.
Abaniwonda said: “On February 16, 2024, acting on credible information, one Ugornna of Obinnecu Street was arrested along Mariam Babangida Way. She was arrested based on information received that she deals in controlled illicit drugs. Upon her arrest, 284 bottles, containing substance suspected to be codeine were recovered from her. Suspect is in custody and will be charged to court upon completion of investigation.”
The CP recently paid courtesy visits on sister agencies including Army, DSS, NSCDC and strategic security liaison officers of the state government, to solicit a solid working relationship. He also released short code numbers to members of the public to divulge useful information to assist police operations and report cases of indiscipline by the operatives in their areas.
National Coordinator, South-South Professional and Transparency Initiatives (SSPTI), Dr. Ugochukwu Alozie, appreciated the efforts of Abaniwonda: “With the zeal displayed so far, it is obvious that the state will be a hot bed for criminals and their collaborators.
“We, the members of SSPTI are convinced that Abaniwonda has come to consolidate the good job did by the former CP, Wale Abass, now an Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG). We want to believe that with his commitment to work and zero tolerance to crimes, inline with IGP Kayode Egbetokun’s mandate, the state will witness a drastic reduction in crime and other social vices under his watch.”
This view was, however, at variance with opinion of the Warri Urban Security Network (WUSN). The group said: “There are some challenges the new CP has to contend with, especially in the area of human rights violations, extortions and professional misconduct of his men and officers.”
Its chairman, Chief Frank Onoriode, although acknowledged the initiative of the CP in releasing short codes to the public to report cases of misconduct of his operatives in their areas, “but the question of how well the new police boss can sustain this tempo is left for time to answer.”
