Delta: One dead, three arrested as police engage kidnappers in gun battle

Police officers killed a suspected kidnapper during a gunfight in a Delta community. 

The operation, which also resulted in the arrest of three other individuals, yielded the retrieval of a lethal weapons cache.

SP Bright Edafe, the Police Public Relations Officer for Delta State Command, confirmed this in a statement issued in Warri on Wednesday.

According to the statement, the event occurred on August 12, 2024, when the CP Special Squad, stationed in Ughelli, launched an investigation with a previously captured suspect, Joel Ofoye.

The inquiry took them to the Ewu village in Ughelli South LGA, where they pursued a known gunrunner who supplied guns to the abduction gang.

“While the operatives were on the trail, they came under heavy attack by the suspect’s gang members, who attempted to free Joel Ochuko,” the statement read.

However, the cops forced the hoodlums to run amid a gunfight.

According to the statement, the injured suspect was immediately sent to the General Hospital in Ughelli but died as a result of his injuries while being treated.

The group surrendered a stockpile of firearms, including a Beretta handgun with four rounds of live ammo, a pump-action shotgun with nine cartridges, and a locally made revolver.

Meanwhile, the police have increased their crackdown on a kidnapping gang following the abduction of a 29-year-old victim in Kokori Community, Ethiope East LGA, on February 17, 2024.

The victim, whose identity is protected, was abducted at his Sapele home and the kidnappers transferred N5 million from his bank account. After regaining his freedom, the victim reported the event to the police.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, has ordered a comprehensive inquiry.

Based on information supplied by the victim, the CP's Special Squad, commanded by ASP Julius Robinson, raided the hideaway of one of the syndicate's major members, known as "Sapiro," in Sapele. A search of the apartment turned up another Beretta handgun.

The squad also arrested key members of the syndicate, including Tony Binitie, a.k.a. 'Bobo,' the gang leader from Big-Warri Community in Warri South LGA; Ejiro Ewuba, a native of Uwelogbo Community in Isoko LGA but residing in Sapele; and Ayuba Hussaini, a resident of Hausa Quarters, Sapele, who was the receiver of the victim's stolen valuables.

Hussaini was also discovered to have received a N1 million transfer from the victim's account. The accused subsequently confessed to the crimes.