The Delta State Police Command says it has recorded fresh successes in its ongoing crackdown on violent crime, following the arrest of two suspects and the foiling of a planned kidnapping in separate intelligence-led operations carried out across the state.
According to a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, operatives attached to the Ebrumede Division arrested a suspect and recovered a cache of weapons after intercepting three suspected armed robbers along Garki-Uti Road, Effurun, on 4 August 2026.
Police said the operatives, who were on stop-and-search duty, apprehended Benjamin Haruna, 28, while two other suspects, identified only as Omelo and Alabanco, fled the scene on a motorcycle.
A search of a bag found in the suspects’ possession yielded two locally made double-barrel guns, eleven live cartridges, one expended cartridge, an axe, two Android phones, two power banks, two wristwatches, a lighter, and a camouflage military polo shirt.
Preliminary investigations, police said, indicate the suspects were conveying the items to a hideout along Sapele Road. Haruna remains in custody, while a manhunt has been launched for his two accomplices.
In a second operation, operatives of the Ughelli ‘A’ Division said they foiled a kidnap plot on 31 July 2026 after receiving credible intelligence that a suspect, Jeremiah Kwane, 26, had attempted to recruit an accomplice into a kidnapping syndicate targeting a pastor and a retired school principal in Ughelli.
Acting swiftly on the tip-off, police said operatives arrested Kwane at his duty post. A subsequent search led to the recovery of a single-barrel gun and two live cartridges. The suspect is currently undergoing further investigation.
Commenting on the operations, the Commissioner of Police, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to relentlessly pursue kidnappers, armed robbers and other violent criminals operating in the state. He urged residents to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies to help safeguard lives and property.
