The Delta State Police Command has successfully apprehended six suspected kidnappers and recovered over N2.3 million in ransom money paid by their victims.
This was revealed by the Commissioner of Police for Delta State, CP Abaniwanda Olufemi, during a parade of 16 suspects involved in various criminal activities.
Olufemi highlighted that under his leadership, the command had made significant progress, with ongoing plans to boost police visibility and conduct raids on known black spots and criminal hideouts throughout the state’s 25 local government areas.
Providing details on the arrests, Olufemi stated, “Acting on credible intelligence, operatives from the Ebrumede Division, while on patrol, intercepted a tricycle carrying six passengers. Upon sighting the police, the suspects attempted to escape, but the operatives pursued and arrested them. A search revealed N2,344,000 in ransom money and some suspected stolen phones. Further investigation revealed that the phones belonged to kidnapping victims, and the money was part of the ransom paid for their release.”
In addition to this, Olufemi disclosed that the anti-kidnapping squad had conducted a successful sting operation in the Umunede forest, rescuing two people who had been abducted along the Asaba-Benin Expressway.
He explained that the police acted swiftly after receiving credible information about the incident. Realizing the police were closing in, the kidnappers fled, abandoning their captives.
Expressing concern over the growing issue of drug abuse in the state, the CP also mentioned that the command’s Dragon Patrol team, during a stop-and-search operation on the Asaba-Agbor Expressway, apprehended a 39-year-old man, Jammed Abdulahi Shola, driving a green Toyota vehicle.
Upon inspection, officers discovered 320 packs of codeine, 125 sachets of tramadol, and other hard drugs in large quantities.
