The Delta State Police Command has intensified its crackdown on violent crime, arresting a suspected kingpin and recovering a significant cache of high-calibre weapons during two separate intelligence-led operations.
The breakthroughs, which resulted in the recovery of two AK-47 rifles, a Beretta pistol, and 69 rounds of live ammunition, are part of an ongoing offensive against kidnapping and illegal arms proliferation in the state.
On the evening of April 29, 2026, operatives from the CP Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT), acting on a tip-off, intercepted Shehu Malami, 45, at the Ogor Market in Ughelli.
Following a preliminary interrogation, the suspect led officers to a secluded hideout in Agbarha-Otor. A search of the premises yielded one AK-47 rifle and sixty-three rounds of live ammunition. Police sources indicate that Malami is a key member of a notorious syndicate responsible for a wave of kidnappings and robberies across Ughelli, Agbarho, Sapele, and Warri. While the suspect remains in custody, police are currently trailing other fleeing members of the gang.
In a separate development on May 2, 2026, a combined team of Buffalo, Crack, and Operation Delta Shield (ODS) squads conducted a high-stakes raid near the Customs Check Point along the Benin–Asaba Expressway.
The operation, led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations), focused on a forested area used by criminals as a staging point. The sweep resulted in the recovery of one AK-47 rifle, one Beretta pistol, and six rounds of live ammunition. Investigations are currently underway to identify and apprehend the suspects linked to this stash.
The Commissioner of Police for Delta State, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, commended the operatives for their surgical precision and reaffirmed the Command’s resolve to make the state inhospitable for criminal elements.
He noted that the police are sustaining the tempo and that intelligence networks remain active, taking the fight directly to criminal doorsteps. The Commissioner further urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements to the authorities, promising that all whistleblowers would receive utmost confidentiality.
