The Delta State Police Command has arrested no fewer than 80 suspects across the state for various crimes ranging from armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms, drug trafficking, and fraud, recovering a cache of weapons, stolen vehicles, and other exhibits in the process.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Abaniwonda S. Olufemi, who revealed this in Asaba, said the coordinated operations were carried out in August 2025 by different tactical units of the command.
Among the highlights of the breakthroughs was the arrest of 39-year-old Bassey Udoh along DBS Road, Asaba, by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad.
According to him, a search revealed an English Beretta pistol concealed in his cross bag, saying preliminary investigations showed he belonged to a robbery syndicate and had purchased the weapon for ₦30,000.
Similarly, operatives of the CP-Decoy Squad stormed a hideout in Ubulu-Okiti on August 21, where three suspects from Imo State: Igwe Ameachi, Chibuzor Ojiogwu, and Ekene Ibigweh, were apprehended.
The team recovered a pump-action gun, two double-barreled guns, and live cartridges.
On August 30, patrol officers attached to the Eagle-Net Special Squad intercepted a Toyota Sienna along Asaba-Ibusa Road.
He said a search led to the recovery of 75 rounds of live cartridges hidden beneath the driver’s seat, with the driver, Albert Opene, 58, taken into custody.
The police also arrested ex-convict Precious Okoro, 27, and an accomplice, Buhari Deyegu, 18, for stealing a motorcycle on August 11, pointing out that Okoro had just completed a two-year jail term for a similar offence five days before committing the new crime.
In Ughelli, operatives arrested a notorious gang led by one Samson Ugbe, alias “Big Man,” linked to several violent robberies across the state, including a 2024 attack on Niger Delta University, Oghara. Recovered items included a 65-inch television, PlayStation 4, stolen phones, and two suspected stolen vehicles.
Other major arrests included:
- The recovery of two vehicles, a Lexus RX350 and Mercedes-Benz GLK350, from armed robbery suspects in Effurun-Sapele.
- The dismantling of a syndicate of fraudsters in Warri and Ughelli who defrauded victims of ₦23.5 million, 42 motorcycles, and dozens of iPhones.
- The arrest of a drug baroness, 52-year-old Egbule Isioma, in Ughelli, with over 355 bottles of codeine, hundreds of rolls of tramadol, swinol capsules, and Canadian liquid cannabis recovered.
- The recovery of 11 stolen ladders from suspects in Ekpan, allegedly resold at ₦20,000 each instead of their ₦250,000 market value.
- The recovery of a stolen Mercedes-Benz GLK in Asaba, traced to a robbery incident in Enugu State in 2023.
- The arrest of two armed robbery suspects in Ogwashi-Uku, with a Beretta pistol, pump-action rifle, motorcycles, and over 25 mobile phones recovered.
According to CP Olufemi, the summary of the command’s August operations showed the recovery of 31 firearms, 86 rounds of ammunition and cartridges, 50 laptops and mobile phones, alongside other stolen valuables.
He assured residents that the command remains committed to flushing out criminal elements from the state, urging the public to continue to volunteer credible information to aid police operations.
