Assorted guns and sophisticated mobile phones were recovered when operatives of the CP Special Assignment Team of the Delta State Police Command staged a crackdown on suspected kidnappers and one-chance syndicate in some parts of the state.

According to The PUNCH, the operation followed a directive of the state Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, that a case of kidnapping reported at the Isiokolo Police station where one suspect was initially arrested be transferred to operatives of the team alongside one suspect named Augustine Ojanuware.

The Police Public Relations Officer for the Delta State Command, Bright Edafe, said in a signed statement made available to journalists in Warri on Monday that “the operatives of the CP-SAT, upon further investigation, said the suspect confessed that he is a member of a kidnapping and armed robbery syndicate terrorising Ughelli, Warri, Agbarho, Sapele and their environs.”

According to the PPRO, “On June 28, 2025, the suspect led operatives to the Osubi area of Warri and Ughelli town, where two additional suspects, viz Precious Urhobowin ‘m’ 27 years of Ewu community in Ughelli North LGA of Delta State and one Julius Okpako, ‘m’, 32 years, a native of Oviri-Ogor community in Ughelli North LGA of Delta State, who is a member and owner of a POS machine used in collecting ransom, were arrested respectively and another locally made gun with eight rounds of live cartridges was recovered from them.”

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The police spokesman disclosed that preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects were responsible for the kidnap of a pharmacist on June 19, 2025, in her residence in Ughelli and released after five days upon payment of an undisclosed sum of money and whose Lexus jeep they abandoned along Isiokolo area and also the attempted kidnap of another male victim whose Toyota Corolla they robbed upon the failed attempt at Iyede community on June 28, 2025.

Meanwhile, the suspects are in custody, just as investigations are ongoing in the matter.

The PPRO explained that the operatives arrested some suspected robbers popularly known as “one chance“ and recovered their operational tricycle and 16 sophisticated mobile phones from the gangsters.

The arrest, the police spokesman said, was a sequel to a series of complaints received from members of the public in Ughelli related to a syndicate that specialises in robbing unsuspecting passengers who board commercial tricycles.

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The statement partly reads, “Acting on credible intelligence, on June 28, 2025 and June 29, 2025, operatives of CP-Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT) led by ASP Julius Robinson stormed Agbarho town and effected the arrest of Lucky Oghenerobor ‘m’ 37yrs, a native of Olomoro community in Isoko South LGA of Delta State, resident in Agbarho town, who is the leader and owner of their operational tricycle.

“Other suspects were also arrested within Ughelli town namely Olamide Fagbaibe ‘m’ 24yrs, a native of Akure in Ondo State and Umeh Akpan ‘m’ 37yrs a native of Eket in Akwa-Ibom State, both resident in Ughelli town.

“Suspects confessed that they usually operate in Ughelli, Warri, Sapele, and environs. Recovered from them are 16 different kinds of suspected stolen phones”.

In the meantime, the State Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, has reiterated that “the command remains committed to the fight against crime and criminality”.

The CP called on residents and the people of the state to “always volunteer information that will aid the Police in crime fighting”.

The police boss released the command’s dedicated control room phone numbers which are 08036684974; 08114895600 and 08025666914.