ASABA/Nigeria: The Delta State Police Command says intelligence-led operations carried out in different parts of the state have resulted in the rescue of a kidnapped 60-year-old man, the arrest of 10 suspects and the recovery of firearms and suspected illicit drugs.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying the operations involved police personnel working with local security structures and followed intelligence received on suspected criminal activities.
According to the command, one of the operations led to the rescue of Nduka Omoyi, 60, who had been kidnapped and taken to the Alisime area of Agbor. The Nigeria Police Force, in its separate operational summary, said the rescue followed geo-spatial intelligence and involved police operatives, forest guards and local personnel.
The Delta Command said its operatives, who mobilised to Alisime Village at about 6pm on September 4 alongside forest guards and local security personnel, engaged the suspected kidnappers before rescuing the victim unharmed.
The abductors reportedly fled into the bush with gunshot injuries, while a mobile phone and an ATM card were recovered. The area was subsequently cordoned off as security operatives continued efforts to track the fleeing suspects.
In a separate operation later that night, operatives of the Command Anti-Cult Unit, Ozoro, acted on intelligence concerning a suspect wanted in connection with an arson case at Owhelogbo Community in August.
The operatives raided a brothel in Abbi where the suspect was reportedly hiding and arrested 10 people — seven females and three males.
Police said quantities of Tramadol, Swinol, Canadian Loud and substances suspected to be Indian hemp were recovered during the operation. The command said the suspects were being profiled and that those found culpable would be prosecuted.
At Oghara, another operation began after police received a report of a scuffle involving about eight people along Ibori Road.
Operatives of the Oghara Division, working with a civilian anti-cult group, responded to the incident. The suspects reportedly fled when they sighted the patrol team, with one of them, identified by the alias “Highest”, allegedly abandoning a locally made cut-to-size firearm.
The weapon was recovered while efforts to identify and arrest the fleeing suspects continued.
The Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Samuel E. Erale, commended the officers and other security personnel involved in the operations and directed them to intensify efforts to apprehend suspects who escaped.
Erale also urged residents to remain vigilant and provide credible information that could assist the police in preventing and detecting crime.
The latest operations, taken together, point to the increasing role of intelligence, community-level security collaboration and rapid police response in the command’s efforts to tackle kidnapping, cultism, drug-related offences and other crimes across the state.
