The Delta State Police Command has arrested five suspects and recovered firearms, vehicles, motorcycles and several items suspected to have been stolen during separate operations across the state.
The operations, carried out on September 19, 2026, in Orerokpe, Ekpan and Agbor, also resulted in the recovery of four locally made single-barrel guns, a live cartridge, three vehicles, three motorcycles and other suspected stolen property.
According to the command’s spokesperson, Bright Edafe, operatives of the Orerokpe Division, working with members of the Civilian Anti-Cult group in Osubi, intercepted two Toyota Sienna vehicles loaded with musical equipment along the Warri-Sapele Road.
The occupants reportedly fled after sighting the police, but officers arrested a 45-year-old man identified as Lawrence Onowenakpo.
A search of the vehicles allegedly led to the recovery of three locally made guns and a live cartridge.
The police said Onowenakpo, during preliminary questioning, allegedly identified Ajeh Zephaniah, also known as Fanta, as the suspected leader of the group.
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Further investigation reportedly led officers to a scrap yard in Warri, which the police suspected was being used as the gang’s operational base. Items recovered there included 22 air-conditioners, 13 washing machines, 29 motorcycle and tricycle engines, musical equipment, television sets, a generator, a laptop and other property suspected to have been stolen.
The police said preliminary investigations linked the suspected gang to recent armed robberies in the Kwale and Warri areas, while efforts were ongoing to arrest Zephaniah and other members still at large.
In a separate operation at Ekpan, police arrested 23-year-old Meshach Onovoisa after responding to a distress call about a man allegedly threatening residents around the Scrap Yard area of Effurun-Sapele Road. A locally made gun was reportedly recovered from him.
Meanwhile, operatives in Agbor arrested three men identified as Agbaja Promise, 20; Emmanuel Ovieh, 25; and Odiri Dama, 25. Police alleged that the suspects were attempting to dispose of a Hijet minibus for ₦300,000 without valid ownership documents.
The vehicle was recovered, and its rightful owner was subsequently identified and contacted.
The Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Samuel Erale, commended the officers and members of the public whose information assisted the operations.
The command also urged residents to continue providing credible and timely information to help combat criminal activities across the state.
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