The Delta State Police Command has made notable strides in the ongoing fight against crime, according to CP Abaniwonda S. Olufemi, the Commissioner of Police for Delta State. During a press briefing on September 5, 2024, CP Abaniwonda highlighted the impressive achievements of the command from July 25 to date, focusing on reducing incidents of kidnapping, armed robbery, and other criminal activities, especially as the “ember months” approach.

The command has been proactive, deploying officers and conducting raids in black spots across the state’s 25 local government areas. CP Abaniwonda revealed that a major success was the recovery of multiple firearms, including three locally made cut-to-size guns, a pump-action gun, and live cartridges from a vehicle abandoned by suspects in Asaba on September 4, 2024.

In another victory, two kidnapping victims held in Umunede Forest were successfully rescued on August 31, 2024, after a sting operation by the Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cybercrime Squad. The operation also led to the recovery of a Dane gun and live cartridges, while the kidnappers fled the scene.

On August 13, 2024, a plot to kidnap guests at the Delta State Polytechnic graduation ceremony was foiled. The police seized an AK-47 rifle, a pump-action gun, and a locally made gun during a raid in Oghara.

In a related breakthrough, operatives of the Ebrumede division arrested suspected kidnappers in a tricycle on August 31, 2024, recovering over ₦2.3 million, believed to be part of a ransom, along with stolen phones.

One suspected kidnapper, Joel Ochuko Ofoye, who was apprehended earlier, died on August 12, 2024, after leading police to his gang’s hideout. The police recovered a Baretta pistol, a pump-action gun, and a revolver after a gunfight with the suspect’s accomplices.

The Commissioner also noted the arrest of suspected cultists and recovery of firearms in Oghara on August 14, 2024, and efforts to combat illicit drug trade, which led to the seizure of large quantities of codeine and tramadol during a raid on July 25, 2024.

CP Abaniwonda assured residents that the police would intensify their efforts to maintain security, urging the public to continue supporting law enforcement by reporting criminal activities.

Since July 25, 2024, the Delta State Police Command has recovered four AK-47 rifles, 138 rounds of ammunition and cartridges, eight pump-action guns, 15 cut-to-size guns, and five Baretta pistols. The Command remains committed to maintaining law and order throughout the state.