The Delta State Police Command says it has arrested no fewer than 627 suspected criminals and recovered a large cache of arms, ammunition and stolen property during operations carried out in the ember months across the state.
The Commissioner of Police, Abaniwonda Olufemi, disclosed this on Monday at the Command Headquarters in Asaba while parading the suspects.
According to him, those arrested include 140 suspected armed robbers, 113 kidnapping suspects, 125 murder suspects, 187 suspected cultists and 62 suspects linked to rape and defilement cases.
Olufemi said the command recovered 144 assorted firearms, made up of 27 AK-47/49 rifles, 25 Beretta pistols, 56 single-barrel and cut-to-size guns, and 36 pump-action guns. He added that 6,930 rounds of ammunition and cartridges were also recovered, a development he said had significantly weakened the operational capacity of criminal gangs in the state.
The police commissioner further revealed that operatives rescued 18 victims from criminal dens, recovered 28 stolen vehicles and retrieved about ₦36 million paid as ransom in various kidnapping cases, noting that kidnapping-for-ransom remains a concern despite intensified security efforts.
In a related operation, Olufemi said intelligence-led raids by the Buffalo Tactical Teams led to the arrest of 161 suspects at a notorious drug distribution hideout in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area. He said illicit drugs recovered include Nigerian Loud, Canadian Loud, codeine syrup, ice and sachets of 200mg tramadol.
He also disclosed that on December 13, 2025, operatives intercepted an Asaba–Onitsha commercial bus at the Asaba Head Bridge, recovering 109 bottles of codeine and several cartons of tramadol, with suspects arrested and investigations ongoing.
Olufemi commended officers and men of the command for their dedication and professionalism, thanked the media for sustained partnership, and assured residents that aggressive, intelligence-driven operations would continue to ensure a crime-free Yuletide season in the state.
