Commissioner of Police Delta State, CP Abaniwonda Olufemi, psc, gives an account of the achievements of the command
By Naomisophyblog
CP Abaniwonda S. Olufemi on Tuesday, December 17th, 2024, gave an account of the scorecard since his assumption of duty as the 22nd commissioner of Police Delta State in February 2024. He said there had been challenges encountered, but with the
cooperation of other security agencies, stakeholders, and the good people of Delta State, the command surmounted them to a reasonable extent and restored peace to the state.
Below are some of the command’s recent achievements recounted:
DELTA STATE POLICE COMMAND ENGAGES SUSPECTED KIDNAPPERS, RECOVERS ONE AK-47 RIFLE, TWO PUMP ACTION GUNS, AMMUNITION, AND CARTRIDGES: On 27/11/2024, at about 2145 hrs, acting on a distress call from the command’s control room over a kidnap incident along DLA Road by Daviz Hotel Asaba, where four armed hoodlums operating in a Toyota Camry 2.4 Model with Reg. No. Enugu BLF 490 AA kidnapped one male and one female victim (names withheld), a Toyota Camry vehicle belonging to one of the victims was also taken by the hoodlums. Upon receipt of this information, I directed the command’s Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Squad (SAKCCS) to go after them. The commander of the Special Anti-kidnapping and Cybercrime Squad led operatives from the unit and embarked on an intelligence-led operation, trailed the suspected kidnappers to Ezenei by the Asaba/Benin Expressway, and the hoodlums, who had already released the victims, on sighting the police, abandoned the vehicles and fled into the nearby bush. Upon search of their operational vehicle, one AK-47 rifle with a defaced breach number, two pump-action guns, one magazine, eight (08) rounds of AR live ammunition, and twenty-one (21) rounds of live cartridges concealed under the suspects’ vehicle engine were recovered.
ARREST OF SUSPECTED ARMED ROBBERS. RECOVERY OF ONE BERETTA PISTOL, ONE DOUBLE BARREL GUN, ONE LOCALLY MADE CUT-TO-SIZE GUN: On 2/12/2024, at about 0700 hours, acting on intelligence, the Commander SAKCCS led a combined team of police operatives attached to the Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cybercrime Squad, the Rapid Response Squad, and the Buffalo Squad on a sting operation at the hideout of suspected armed robbers behind Anioma Market, Asaba, and arrested ten suspects and recovered one Beretta pistol, one double-barreled long gun, one locally made cut-to-size gun, and five rounds of 9mm ammunition. Preliminary investigation revealed that suspects were responsible for a series of house robberies in Asaba, Okpanam, and Isselu-uku. Manhunt for other members of the gang is ongoing.
ARREST OF A MURDER SUSPECT/RITUALIST: On 23/11/2024, a native of Owa-Alero (name withheld) reported that his 8-year-old son, Progress Ifeanyi, was missing and that the last they heard was that one of their customers named Destiny Lawrence, who usually came to their shop to patronize them, went away with him. But on noticing the son was missing, he asked the said Destiny, who denied knowledge of the whereabouts of his son. However, later that day, the corpse of his son was found in an uncompleted building, and some of his body parts were missing. The suspect One Destiny Lawrence was arrested, and during interrogation, the suspect confessed that one native doctor known as Jonah from the Otolokpo community contracted him to look for a small boy for him for the sum of thirty thousand naira (#30,000). He then lured the deceased to where the native doctor was waiting, and then the native doctor took the deceased to an uncompleted building and slit his throat. The suspect is in custody while a manhunt for the fleeing native doctor is ongoing.
ARREST OF TWO SUSPECTED ROBBERS: On 25th November 2024, at about 1600 hours, operatives of the Special Anti-kidnapping and Cybercrime Squad acting on intelligence arrested Osageduwa Goodluck, aged 51 years, and one other suspect, aged 50 years, opposite one of the new generation banks in Asaba. The arrest was due to incessant complaints the command has been receiving from members of the public about the activities of the suspects, who trail customers while leaving the bank, breaking into their vehicle, and carting away with their money and other valuables. The suspects stated that they always park opposite the bank using a tinted vehicle till they identify their target. The suspects are in custody, and the investigation is ongoing.
ARREST OF A MURDER SUSPECT: On 4th December 2024, a case of a missing 10-month-old child named Prevail Jonathan was reported. While at the station alongside the mother of the child, the police received a call that a child was found floating at the Aviara community river. The child was brought to the station, and it was discovered that it is the body of the missing child. During the investigation, the mother of the child, One Blessing Ibuku ‘f,’ confessed that she was the one who threw the baby into the river on the 31st of November 2024. According to the suspect, she threw the baby away because her friends and other girls were making fun of her that the child did not have a father. The suspect is in custody, and the investigation is ongoing.
ARREST OF A RAPE SUSPECT: On 21/11/2024, at about 1000 hours, a man (name withheld) reported at ‘B’ Division Asaba that on 20/11/2024, at about 0700 hours, while his wife (name withheld), aged 28 years, was resting in the house, one Friday Emegbu, ‘m,’ aged 36 years, entered his house, overpowered his wife, and raped her. On the strength of his complaint, operatives of the division acted swiftly and arrested the suspect. Investigation is ongoing.
ARREST OF A DEFILEMENT SUSPECT: On 11/11/2024, at about 1415 hours, an indigene (name withheld) of the Aniara community reported at the Oleh Police station that one Ezekiel Elijah, a 22-year-old of the same community, allegedly defiled his physically impaired daughter (name withheld), aged 13 years old. Investigation revealed that the suspect lured the girl to his house on 10/11/2024 while she was running an errand for the father. The suspect locked her in his room and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her. The suspect is in custody, and the investigation is ongoing.
ARREST OF SUSPECTS WHO STOLE ONE LUXURIOUS BUS BELONGING TO YOUNG SHALL GROW: On 4/12/2024, a patrol team from Ekpan Police Station, while on surveillance patrol along Warri-Sapele Road in the Aziza community, intercepted one luxurious bus with reg. no LSD-909-XS belonging to Young Shall Grow parked in the bush with four occupants. Upon interrogation of the occupants, they could not immediately give any satisfactory account of themselves; hence, they were arrested. A preliminary investigation later revealed that they stole the luxurious bus from Aba in Abia State, where it was parked, and brought it to Warri, Delta State, to sell it for five million Naira (#5,000,000) to scrap dealers. The suspects include Michael Odugbo ‘m’ aged 48 yrs, Peter Udemezue ‘m’ aged 27 yrs, Emeka Okorafor ‘m’ aged 27 yrs, and Kelechi Njikonye ‘m’ aged 29 yrs old. They are presently in custody, and investigation is ongoing.
The Command has recorded significant success in the fight against crime and criminality since I assumed duty as the 22nd Commissioner of Police in Delta State. The mandate given to CP Abaniwonda by the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, PhD, NPM, is that the police in Delta State must perform at an optimal level and ensure that Deltans sleep with their two eyes closed. The command has reasonably delivered on this mandate.
CP Abaniwonda said under his watch, the command arrested over six hundred and seventy-eight suspects, which includes One Hundred and Thirty (130) suspected armed robbers, Eighty-Eight (88) suspected kidnappers, Seventy-Six (76) murder suspects, Three Hundred and Twenty-Nine (329) suspected cultists, and Fifty-Four (54) suspects arrested for rape and defilement offenses. A total number of One Hundred and Fifty (150) firearms, which includes Thirty-Two (32) AK-47/AK-49 rifles, Twenty-Seven (27) Beretta pistols, Seventy-Two (72) single-barrel/locally made cut-to-size guns, and Nineteen pump-action guns, were recovered, and lastly, a total of Five Thousand and Forty-Two (5,042) rounds of ammunition/cartridges were also recovered within the period under review.
1. Number of AK-47/AK-49 rifles recovered: – 32
2. Number of Beretta pistols recovered – 27
3. Number of single barrel/cut-to-size guns recovered: 72
4. Number of pump-action guns recovered: – 19
5. Number of ammunition and cartridges recovered: 5,042
Total number of arms recovered: 150
SUSPECTS ARRESTED
1. Suspected armed robbers arrested – 131
2. Suspected kidnappers arrested – 88
3. Murder suspects arrested – 76
4. Suspects cultists arrested – 329
5. Rape/defilement suspects – 54
Total number of suspects arrested: 678
Number of Kidnapped Victims Rescued: 48
Number of recovered vehicles: 27
In conclusion, CP Abaniwonda reiterated the fact that 85% of suspects arrested within the period under review were largely males and mostly youths. This clearly shows that parenting the male child is in decline; parents are therefore urged to look out for their male children as much as they do for their female children. They should pay attention to their company, peer groups, and whereabouts. They are also advised to continue to talk to their children to shun all forms of cult-related activities, drug abuse, and other criminal vices.
He also stated that the ban on tinted vehicles and the use of fireworks in Delta is still in force. This has become necessary to properly checkmate the activities of criminal elements who may want to take advantage of it. Deltans are advised to abide by these directives, as anyone found wanting will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.
Assures members of the public of the command’s commitment in ensuring that we record a crime-free yuletide while admonishing all residents to be law-abiding.
Deltans are urged to report any suspicious persons or movement within the environment either by reporting at the nearest police station or calling any of the following control room numbers:
– 08036684974
– 08114895600
– 08025666914
Wishing all Deltans a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year in advance.
