The Delta State Police Command has arrested more than 80 suspected criminals for various offences and recovered 31 firearms, 86 rounds of ammunition, dozens of stolen vehicles, laptops, and mobile phones during operations in August 2025.
Commissioner of Police, Abaniwonda Olufemi, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Asaba yesterday, assured residents of the state that intelligence-led policing would further clamp down on criminal networks.
He said, “All Deltans should sleep with their two eyes closed. Deltans can attest to the fact that, in recent times, the state has become increasingly hostile to criminals. The command under my watch will not relent in this mandate and will continue to go after criminally minded individuals to ensure they are arrested and brought to justice.”
Olufemi explained that multiple armed robbery operations across Asaba, Ughelli, Ogwashi-Uku and other communities led to the arrests and recovery of weapons, including pump-action rifles, Beretta pistols, and double-barrelled guns.
Among those arrested was a 27-year-old ex-convict, rearrested five days after his release from Ogwashi-Uku Correctional Facility for stealing a motorcycle in Asaba. Police also apprehended a 35-year-old suspect from Edo State while attempting to sell stolen vehicles for N2 million each, as well as a 52-year-old woman in Ughelli described as a major drug dealer, along with three apprentices.
The commissioner noted that “on August 29, 2025, men of the Area Command Ughelli embarked on a raid of suspected criminal hideouts as part of the campaign against the use of illicit drugs and its subsequent effects on youths in our society.”
According to him, credible intelligence led to the arrest of the suspected drug baron, Egbule Isioma, who operates a chemist’s store opposite the Afisere town hall. She was arrested alongside her apprentices, Mercy John, Favour John and Amarachi Ngozi.
A search of her residence at No. 31 Edile Street, Afisere, led to the recovery of 355 bottles of codeine, 57 rolls of 50mg tramadol capsules, 335 rolls of 100mg tramadol, 33 rolls of 200mg Super Royal, seven packs of Backwoods 500, 540 sachets of Swinol capsules, and 16 cups of Canadian liquid cannabis.
Olufemi described her as “a major dealer in illicit drugs in Ughelli and its environs,” adding that the seizure represented a significant breakthrough in curbing the supply of controlled substances in the area.
The police also smashed a syndicate specialising in hypnotising victims, defrauding them of valuables and looting bank accounts. Two Toyota Camry cars, 16 suspected stolen iPhones, and evidence of fraudulent transactions amounting to N23.5 million were recovered from the group.
