Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have neutralised several suspected kidnappers in a shootout in Ughelli North Local Government Area following an extensive, multi-state investigation.
The operation led to the recovery of a significant cache of firearms, including an AK-47 rifle.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Command detailed that the operation was initiated in response to a series of kidnappings and armed robberies around the Upper-Agbarho axis of Ughelli. The Commissioner of Police’s Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT) was tasked with bringing the perpetrators to justice.
The investigation led operatives to Rivers and Imo States, resulting in the arrest of Abubakar Musa, 28, in Port Harcourt on October 2, 2025, and Yusuf Sale, 25, in Owerri on October 4, 2025.
According to the report, the two suspects led the police team to a hideout in a bush between the Upper-Agbarho and Oviri-Ogor communities. A search of the hideout yielded one AK-47 rifle, two magazines, 43 rounds of live ammunition, one pump-action shotgun, and a locally fabricated pistol.
As the operatives were leaving the hideout, they were ambushed by other members of the gang attempting to free the arrested suspects. A fierce gun duel ensued, during which the initial suspects and several of their accomplices sustained fatal gunshot wounds. Two police operatives were also injured in the exchange and are currently receiving medical treatment. The injured suspects were confirmed dead at a hospital where they were taken for treatment.
A manhunt is currently underway for the remaining gang members who fled the scene.
In a separate operation, the Command’s Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cybercrime Squad successfully dismantled another kidnap syndicate operating in Ogwashi-Uku.
The investigation began on September 8, 2025, after a young man was abducted from his residence. The kidnappers collected a ransom of two million naira ($N2,000,000) but still shot the victim in the leg before releasing him.
Following an intelligence-led operation, police arrested Chukwuebuka Nka, 25, and Uche Okechukwu in Anambra State, recovering the victim’s white Venza SUV.
Their confessions led to the arrest of a third suspect, 18-year-old Somto Chukwuma, at a hideout in Agidiase village, Ogwashi-Uku. A further search led to the recovery of the gang’s operational Toyota Matrix vehicle and a network jammer circuit device, used to block communication signals during their operations.
The Delta State Police Command has reiterated its commitment to ridding the state of criminal elements and assured residents that investigations are ongoing to apprehend all individuals connected to these syndicates.
