Police bust kidnap, ‘one-chance’ gangs in Delta, recover weapons, phones

Operatives of the CP Special Assignment Team of the Delta State Police Command have launched a crackdown on suspected kidnappers and ‘one-chance’ syndicates in parts of the state, during which assorted firearms and sophisticated mobile phones were recovered.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the operation followed a directive from the State Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, that a kidnapping case reported at Isiokolo Police Station where one suspect was initially arrested should be transferred to the team, along with a suspect named Augustine Ojanuware.

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

“On June 28, 2025, the suspect led operatives to the Osubi area of Warri and Ughelli town, where two additional suspects namely, Precious Urhobowin (male, 27 years old) of Ewu community in Ughelli North LGA of Delta State, and Julius Okpako (male, 32 years old), 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. Another locally made gun with eight rounds of live cartridges was recovered from them.”

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

Meanwhile, the suspects remain in custody, and investigations are ongoing.

The PPRO explained that operatives also arrested suspected robbers, popularly known as ‘one-chance’ operators, and recovered their operational tricycle and 16 sophisticated mobile phones.

The arrests, the police spokesman said, followed a series of complaints from members of the public in Ughelli regarding a syndicate specialising in robbing unsuspecting passengers who board commercial tricycles.

The statement partly reads, “Acting on credible intelligence, on June 28 and 29, 2025, operatives of the CP-Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT), led by ASP Julius Robinson, stormed Agbarho town and arrested Lucky Oghenerobor (male, 37 years old), 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 (male, 24 years old), a native of Akure in Ondo State, and Umeh Akpan (male, 37 years old), a native of Eket in Akwa Ibom State, both resident in Ughelli town.

“The suspects confessed that they usually operate in Ughelli, Warri, Sapele, and environs. Sixteen different kinds of suspected stolen phones were recovered from them.”

In the meantime, Abaniwonda has reiterated that “the Command remains committed to the fight against crime and criminality”.

The CP called on residents and 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: 08036684974, 08114895600, and 08025666914.