By our reporter
Apparently beating its chest, Delta State Police Command said it has recorded what it described as a major breakthrough in its fight against armed robbery, recovering a stolen Mercedes Benz GLK, firearms, motorcycles, and an array of stolen valuables in a string of coordinated operations across the South-South state.
The operations, ordered by State Commissioner of Police (CP) Olufemi Abaniwonda, also resulted in the arrest of notorious robbery suspects and the neutralizing of criminal threats in Asaba,the state capital, and Ogwashi-Ukwu,a major town in the oil-producing state.
According to the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police (SP) Bright Edafe, on August 5 this year, about 5:40 p.m., operatives from ‘B’ Division, Asaba, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted a suspected stolen Mercedes Benz GLK with registration number NZM10AP at a parking lot on Former Deputy Road, Asaba.
Edafe said consequently the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for the area, Chief Superintendent (CSP) Edewor Akponegware led a Crime Branch team in the sting operation, arresting one Chinedu Eze, who was allegedly attempting to sell the vehicle to an unsuspecting buyer.
According to the spokesman, preliminary checks revealed the car had been snatched at gunpoint in April 2023 at Abakpa, Enugu State, during which the rightful owner was shot, adding that the vehicle, first registered in 2023 and fraudulently re-registered in 2025, has now been recovered.
Edafe narrated that in another operation, on August 4, about 4:30 a.m., police received a distress call that armed robbers were operating along Chelsea Street, Ogwashi-Ukwu.
He said this prompted the DPO, CSP Okoyomon Israel, to immediately mobilise the Anti-Crime Squad and local vigilante operatives to the scene.
The robbers attempted to flee, but two suspects, 22-year-old Thywill Selvin of Poly Road, Ogwashi-Ukwu, and 32-year-old Guntim Bako of Kwale Junction, were arrested, he said.
Items recovered from the suspects included one pump action rifle with one live cartridge, one Beretta pistol with six live rounds, three assault rifle rounds, a Daylong motorcycle with registration number SAP 369 VK, a Qlink motorcycle with registration number URM 750 QV, 25 mobile phones, four laptops, a tablet phone, a PS4 console, a home theatre set, two Zealot music players, bags of clothes, and other stolen goods. Several victims have since identified their property, Edafe disclosed.
Commending the swift action of the operatives, CP Abaniwonda reiterated the Command’s commitment to aggressive, intelligence-driven policing to rid Delta State of criminal elements.
He urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities without delay, noting that early information remains the most potent weapon against crime.
