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By Christopher Oji
The Delta State Police Command has cracked a syndicate that has been responsible for abduction of high-profile individuals in the state.
The cracking and arrest of the gang members, including the ring leader, saved the lives of some highly placed individuals marked for kidnapping.
According to Delta state police public relations officer (PPRO) SP Bright Edafe, 247 rounds of live ammunition for a Submachine Gun (SMG) rifle were recovered from the gang.
He said:”Sequel to a series of intelligence reports received on the planned abduction of several high-profile individuals in Sapele, Oghara, and their environs, by a notorious syndicate under the leadership of Owei Abebo, alias Adusa, who has been on the Command’s Watch-list since 2021, operatives of the CP-Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT), led by ASP Julius Robinson, swung into a strategic operation.
On l July 19, 2025, in the early hours of the day, the operatives arrested one Peter Benson,35, from Kwale, Ndokwa LG, Delta State, and a suspected spiritual herbalist responsible for ritual preparations for the criminal gang.
“Following intensive interrogation, Peter Benson led operatives to another suspect, one Joseph Saniyo, 63 , of Ajakorama Community, Ovia South-West LG, Edo State. Saniyo, identified as the syndicate’s primary spiritualist, was found in possession of three live tortoises and other fetish items believed to be used in criminal fortification rituals.
“ Acting swiftly on further intelligence provided by the arrested suspects, operatives stormed Oghara and successfully apprehended the ring leader, Owei Abebo a.k.a “Adusa”, 42, along with the following male accomplices: Ebi Maye, 41, from Poloborbor Community, Warri North LG, Delta state and Happy Obegha, 39, of Aakoroma Community, Ovia North-East LGA, Edo State.
“ During a thorough search of the suspect’s hideouts, the operatives recovered 247 rounds of live ammunition for a Submachine Gun (SMG) rifle.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that their latest plot involved planned coordinated kidnappings across Sapele and Oghara which was successfully foiled after their arrest.”
Human Trafficking: Why Nigeria is still on tier 2 list of the global TIP report—-NAPTIP
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has explained why Nigeria is still a Tier 2 member country in the global Trafficking in Persons (TIP) record.
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NAPTIP Director General, Binta Adamu Bello, gave the explanation at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, to mark the commencement of the activities for the 2025 World day against human trafficking with theme, “Human Trafficking is Organized Crime, End the Exploitation”.
She alleged that some other unnamed agencies of the government that ought to work hand-in-hand with NAPTIP in the fight against human trafficking are the ones slowing the efforts of the Agency that could have increased its chances of being upgraded to Teir 1.
She said: “NAPTIP as an Agency and its officials have put in extra working time and commitment to the cause of the fight against human trafficking. Sadly, the other supporting agencies of the government are not putting as much effort as we have done over the years, and that is affecting our global perception and ranking.
“We ought to have been up upgraded to Tier 1, but that has not been done. I have had several meetings with directors in the agency on the matter, and we are working assidously and collaboratively to ensure that we achieve the target as soon as we can. Because that will help improve our perception at the global community,” she said.
She, however, explained that Tier 2 countries as regards the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report are those that do not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking but are making significant efforts to do so.
She said that though, these countries are actively working to improve their anti-trafficking efforts which includes investigations, prosecutions, victim protection, and prevention strategies, but they still have areas where improvement is needed, and Nigeria is an example of a Tier 2 country, as it has been ranked as such in the 2022.
The NAPTIP boss highlighted the fact that the fight against human trafficking has continued to take new dimensions with emerging trends daily, coupled with a new destination and further exploitation of victims.
“The forthcoming week-long events to mark the 2025 world day against human trafficking events would be used to highlight these challenges, and harness difference ideas and suggestions on how best to respond to the challenges.
“Meanwhile, some of the disturbing trends that are on the increase are fake job opportunities and scholarships in some trafficking destination countries; recruitment of victims as marketing agents for some branded products with the intention to exploit them; recruitment of unsuspecting youths for online scam (Yahoo-Yahoo) within Nigeria, Ghana and some West African countries; online trafficking/sextortion, revenge porn within Nigeria and Ghana.
“Others are baby factory; organ harvesting practices; online loan scheme where the suspect uses social media handles to lure unsuspecting victims into accepting, but at the end of the day, compel them into prostitution in return for the loan mostly being witnessed in Nigeria and Ghana.
“I am glad to report that even though the crime of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) continues to evolve, becoming more complex, transnational and interlinked with other forms of violence and exploitation, particularly affecting women, children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly, as seen above, NAPTIP has continued perform maximally in line with its mandates,” she added.
She stated that NAPTIP has continued to carry out its activities in line with the 5Ps, which are the strategies of prevention, partnership, policy, protection, and prosecution. “These have metamorphosed to massive awareness across the country to reduce the vulnerability of the citizens, increased collaboration and coordination, development of counter trafficking policies, rescue and rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking, and prosecution of offenders.”
Representatives from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), International Organization for Migration (IOM), International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), FIAAP, Kingdom of Netherlands, European Union (EU), United Nation Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (UNHCR), among others renewed their commitment to the cause of the fight against human trafficking in Nigeria and beyond.
