• Sensitise Delta hoteliers, liquor dealers ahead of enforcement

The Ogun State Police Command has rescued a senior truck driver with Dangote Cement Company, Ibese, Usman Umar, popularly known as “Baba Olowo,” following a gun battle with suspected kidnappers along the Papalanto–Ilaro Road.

Two suspected members of the kidnap gang were neutralised during the operation, while others reportedly fled with varying degrees of gunshot injuries.

The police also recovered two AK-47 rifles, 25 rounds of live ammunition, two mobile phones and N2 million suspected to be proceeds of criminal activities.

Umar was abducted on August 25, 2026, at about 11:10 a.m. by gunmen at Ajibawo Village, near Ijako-Orile in Yewa North Local Council of Ogun State, while returning home from work.

Confirming the development yesterday, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit immediately launched an operation following the report of the abduction.

According to him, the operatives, acting on actionable intelligence, stormed the kidnappers’ hideout along the Papalanto–Ilaro Road, leading to a gun battle in which two suspects were neutralised.

He said other members of the gang escaped from the scene, some of them reportedly sustaining gunshot injuries.

Babaseyi said a subsequent search of the hideout led to the recovery of the two AK-47 rifles, 25 rounds of 5.6mm ammunition, two mobile phones and N2 million.

He added that the bodies of the two suspects had been deposited at a morgue for autopsy, while efforts had been intensified to track and arrest the fleeing members of the gang.

The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, Bode Ojajuni, commended the Anti-Kidnapping Unit for what he described as its professionalism, courage and operational effectiveness.

Ojajuni said the successful rescue operation demonstrated the Command’s determination to relentlessly pursue kidnappers and other violent criminals across the state.

He assured residents that Ogun would remain a hostile terrain for criminal elements, adding that the Command would continue to deploy intelligence-led policing, tactical operations and collaboration with communities to protect lives and property.

The commissioner also urged residents to remain security-conscious and provide credible and timely information, particularly about persons seeking medical treatment for gunshot injuries, to assist the ongoing manhunt.

Meanwhile, the Delta State Police Command has commenced sensitisation of hoteliers, liquor dealers and other stakeholders ahead of the enforcement of the state’s Liquor (Licensing) Law.

The move followed a directive by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Rilwan Disu, for police commands nationwide to enforce applicable laws regulating the sale and consumption of liquor.

The Delta State Commissioner of Police, Yemi Oyeniyi, who convened a stakeholders’ meeting in Asaba, explained the requirements of the law and urged affected operators to obtain the necessary licences and comply with existing legal provisions before full enforcement begins.

Oyeniyi stressed that the exercise was not intended to frustrate legitimate businesses or impose unnecessary hardship on operators, but to ensure proper regulation of establishments where alcoholic beverages are sold and consumed.

He said effective regulation would enable government authorities and security agencies to monitor such establishments and reduce the possibility of their being used as platforms for criminal activities.

The commissioner urged business owners to regard the exercise as an opportunity to regularise their operations rather than an attempt by government agencies to shut down legitimate businesses.

A representative of the Delta State Ministry of Justice provided a legal perspective on the Liquor Licensing Law, stressing the need for cooperation among the police, government agencies, local councils and operators for effective implementation.

Similarly, the Executive Director, Operations, Delta State Internal Revenue Service, Prof. Frank Onyisi Nwugo, expressed concern over the limited awareness of licensing requirements among some operators.

Nwugo called for an expanded sensitisation campaign across the state’s 25 local councils, saying wider public enlightenment would enable operators to understand their obligations, promote compliance and reduce unnecessary disputes with regulatory authorities.

A representative of the Secretary to the Delta State Government also urged hoteliers, wine and liquor dealers and other affected operators to familiarise themselves with the law and take the necessary steps to comply with its provisions.