A week-long operation by police operatives in Delta State has led to the arrest of no fewer than seven suspected kidnappers and the recovery of various weapons.
During a press briefing on Thursday, the Delta Police Commissioner (CP), Abaniwonda Olufemi, revealed the outcome of a recent operation where four suspected kidnappers were apprehended on May 12.
The suspects, Abubakar Alwalu, 25; Usman Husseini, 25; Adamu Mohammed, 30; and Anwalu Umaru, 23, were arrested after operatives of the Dragon patrol team intercepted their vehicle.
The operatives, while conducting a stop and search along the Kwale/Ozoro express road, intercepted the gold-coloured Toyota Sienna bus loaded with passengers from Ughelli en route to Asaba.
Olufemi said, “Upon search of the vehicle, the sum of N3.1m was recovered from four suspects.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects belong to a gang of five and were allegedly responsible for the kidnapping of a lady at Ughelli in her house.”
The suspects, according to the police, were held captive for four days, and a ransom of N4m was obtained on May 11.
The CP noted that the victim had identified the four suspects, and the investigation is ongoing.
Another notable operation was that of a two-month-old infant who was rescued from a 49-year-old woman, known as Joy Oyetimi, on May 7.
Olufemi narrated that the new mother, aged 20, whose name was withheld, had accompanied Joy on a business trip to Warri on February 16.
The older woman, the CP said, drugged the new mother via a juice, which made her sleep off, and she would subsequently wake up to find her child missing alongside the woman she had accompanied.
The case, reported to the Ekpan Police Station, further led to an intelligence-led investigation, where the suspect was trailed and arrested.
“After discreet interrogation, the suspects stated that indeed she was the one who stole the baby.
“The baby who is now five months old has been rescued and handed over to his parent. The suspect is in custody and the investigation is ongoing,” Olufemi said.
In another development, operatives of the CP-Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT) trailed and arrested a suspected kidnapper and gang leader named Abdullahi Ibrahim, 22, on May 10.
The suspect, according to the CP, led the operative to the arrest of another suspect and member of his gang, known as Adamu Usman, 24.
“Upon interrogation, suspects led operatives to a forest along Ore-Lagos expressway by a popular area called ‘stepdown’, where one AK-47 rifle loaded with 14 rounds of live ammunition and a locally made long gun with six rounds of live cartridges were recovered,” the CP noted.
Similarly, on May 12, police operatives responded to a kidnapping incident at the Itego community in Ibusa of the state, where a man, whose name was withheld by the police, was arrested.
The CP acknowledged that an undisclosed ransom was paid by his family members for his freedom.
However, Olufemi said that the command’s Special Anti-kidnapping and Cybercrime Squad stormed the Koka junction in the Asaba axis of the state, where one of the suspects, Lawal Tasiu, 26, was arrested after a hot chase.
The CP revealed that the suspect, a resident of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), upon arrest, was found with N900,000, which was recovered from him.
“During interrogation, the suspect stated that he is a member of a syndicate terrorising Ibusa/Ogwashi-Uku/Issele-Azagbe environs and the money in his possession is part of his own share of the ransom collected.
“On 13/05/2025 at about 0630 hrs, the suspect led operatives to their hideout in the Issele-Azagba area, where one AK-47 rifle, one pump-action gun, two AK-47 magazines and 87 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition were recovered,” Olufemi noted.
Lastly, Olufemi recounted how the CP-Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT) trailed and arrested a suspected kidnapper and gang leader named Abdullahi Ibrahim ‘m’ aged 22 years
The Delta CP said all suspects are currently in custody for further investigation and will be charged in court.
Olufemi noted that the command is tackling the menace of kidnapping with all available resources to ensure that criminals are arrested and prosecuted.
