Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Abaniwonda S. Olufemi, disclosed this on Monday during a press briefing in Asaba, where he reeled out what he described as the Command’s “operational achievements” amid rising public concern over violent crimes.
The Delta State Police Command has announced the arrest of no fewer than 627 criminal suspects, the recovery of 144 firearms and 6,930 rounds of ammunition, as well as the seizure of ₦36 million ransom, in operations carried out from January 2025 to date.
Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Abaniwonda S. Olufemi, disclosed this on Monday during a press briefing in Asaba, where he reeled out what he described as the Command’s “operational achievements” amid rising public concern over violent crimes.
According to the police boss, the arrests cut across major crime categories, including armed robbery, kidnapping, murder, cultism and rape, following what he called “proactive, intelligence-driven and community-based policing.”
A breakdown provided by the Command shows that within the period under review, police arrested: 140 suspected armed robbers; 113 suspected kidnappers; 125 murder suspects; 187 suspected cultists; and 62 rape and defilement suspects.
The Command also announced that it rescued 18 kidnapped victims and recovered 28 stolen vehicles across the state.
CP Olufemi said sustained raids and stop-and-search operations led to the recovery of: 27 AK-47/AK-49 rifles; 25 Beretta pistols; 56 single-barrel and locally fabricated cut-to-size guns and 36 pump-action guns
In total, 144 firearms and 6,930 rounds of live ammunition and cartridges were seized, a development the police say has “significantly degraded the firepower of criminal gangs” operating in Delta State.
Among the cases highlighted was the arrest of two prime suspects in the murder of retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu, who was killed in her home on November 24, 2025.
Police said one of the suspects, identified as the deceased’s security guard, allegedly confessed to inviting accomplices who tied up the retired judge and murdered her before carting away her valuables. One of her stolen mobile phones was later recovered from a market in Asaba.
In another operation, police confirmed that a suspected kidnapper was killed during a gun battle in the Obiaruku forest, where officers recovered an AK-47 rifle, 42 rounds of ammunition, charms and mobile phones. Other gang members reportedly escaped with gunshot injuries.
The Command also announced a massive crackdown on drug trafficking, with 161 suspects arrested in a single raid on a notorious drug den in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area.
Recovered substances included Canadian Loud, Nigerian Loud, codeine syrup, tramadol and ice, while another operation intercepted a commercial bus in Asaba with 109 bottles of codeine and cartons of tramadol.
CP Olufemi attributed the results to collaboration with vigilantes, anti-cult groups, community leaders and other security agencies, insisting the Command remains “fully prepared” to secure lives and property, especially during the festive season.
He urged residents to remain vigilant and continue supplying information to security agencies, while providing emergency police contact numbers for distress calls.