Asaba, Delta State, NIGERIA — The Delta State Police Command in Nigeria’s Delta State in the South-South region has recovered a cache of high-caliber weapons and arresting a key member of a kidnapping syndicate. In a series of intelligence-led raids concluded on Saturday, operatives recovered two AK-47 rifles, a Beretta pistol, and nearly 70 rounds of live ammunition.
The first major success occurred on April 29, when the CP Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT) tracked down 45-year-old Shehu Malami at Ogor Market in Ughelli. Following his arrest, Malami led officers to a hideout in Agbarha-Otor, where an AK-47 and 63 rounds of ammunition were found.
Okay News reports that Malami is allegedly a prominent member of a syndicate responsible for a wave of terror across Ughelli, Sapele, and Warri.
Building on this momentum, a second operation was executed on the morning of May 2. Acting on a tip-off, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations) led a joint force comprising Buffalo, Crack, and Operation Delta Shield (ODS) squads to the outskirts of Asaba. During a search of the bush near the Customs Check Point along the Benin–Asaba Expressway, operatives uncovered an additional AK-47, a Beretta pistol, and six rounds of ammunition.
CP Yemi Oyeniyi, the Commissioner of Police for Delta State, reaffirmed the command’s stance on “sustaining the tempo” against illegal arms proliferation. He emphasized that the successful recovery of these weapons significantly diminishes the operational capacity of criminal gangs in the Niger Delta. Residents were urged by the spokesperson, PPRO Brighton Efafe, to utilize the 112 national emergency number to report suspicious activity. He further assured the public that all informant identities will remain strictly confidential to encourage community-police cooperation.
