The Delta State Police Command said two suspected kidnappers were reportedly shot dead by its operatives during a gunfight at a criminal hideout along the Ewheru-Patani Road in Ughelli Local Government Area, while five suspected cultists were apprehended in another part of the state.
The killing of the suspected kidnappers, the Delta State Police Command said, occurred on October 28, 2024, when officers from the command’s Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT) launched a targeted operation in response to rising reports of violent crimes in the state.
The police spokesman in the state, SP Edafe Bright, who disclosed the killing of the kidnap suspects and the arrest of the cultists, stated that when police approached the hideout of the kidnappers, the suspects reportedly ambushed the team, prompting a fierce exchange of gunfire.
The police spokesman added that during the confrontation, two of the suspected kidnappers sustained severe gunshot wounds, while police officers recovered an AK-47 rifle loaded with six rounds of ammunition and a Beretta pistol loaded with two rounds at the scene.
SP Edafe added that the injured kidnap suspects were transported to Ughelli General Hospital, where medical personnel confirmed them dead.
Read also: Two brothers Murdered in Akwa Ibom by yet-to-be-identified assailants
Initial investigations, he said revealed that the suspects were allegedly involved in a string of kidnappings and violent incidents along the Warri-Sapele Road, with connections to killings in Oghara and Ughelli.
SP Edafe further disclosed that the state police command has intensified its investigations into the case, aiming to trace other individuals potentially linked to the suspects’ criminal network.
Also, he said that in a separate operation, five suspected cultists were arrested in Oton community and Sapele Town on November 4, 2024, resulting in the seizure of additional firearms and an abandoned vehicle.
Meanwhile, the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, has urged the public to report any suspicious activities in their communities, while pledging the command’s continued commitment to combating crime in the state.
