{"id":2010,"date":"2026-07-17T23:36:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T22:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=2010"},"modified":"2026-07-18T07:19:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T06:19:25","slug":"asaba-benin-expressway-gang-smashed-delta-police-arrest-eight-recover-firearms-in-multi-location-crackdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=2010","title":{"rendered":"Delta Police Arrest Eight, Recover Firearms In Multi-Location Crackdown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Jennifer<\/strong><\/strong> Godday<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have arrested eight suspects in connection with alleged armed robbery, cultism, and unlawful possession of firearms during separate intelligence-led operations across the state. The operations also led to the recovery of four locally made firearms, four live cartridges, one expended cartridge, and a dagger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The arrests were confirmed in a statement issued on <\/strong>Tuesday, July 15, 2026, by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Bright Edafe, who said the coordinated operations targeted suspected armed robbery gangs, an alleged gunrunner, and cultists operating in Asaba, Ogwashi-Uku, and neighbouring communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the police, the first operation was conducted in the early hours of July 14, 2026, at approximately 5:00 a.m., following credible intelligence on the activities of a suspected armed robbery syndicate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operatives, working alongside members of the Civilian Anti-Cult Group, tracked the suspects along the Asaba\u2013Benin Expressway, leading to the arrest of Stephen Danladi, 29, from Langtang Local Government Area of Plateau State, and Jude Christian, 26, from Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preliminary interrogation of the suspects reportedly led detectives to Issele-Asagba in Ogwashi-Uku, where a third suspect, Jerry Egenus, of Atuma-Iga in Oshimili North Local Government Area, was arrested for allegedly serving as a gunrunner and receiver of stolen property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police investigations indicate that the suspects are believed to be members of a criminal gang linked to a series of armed robbery attacks in Okpanam, Asaba, and surrounding communities, particularly involving the theft of mobile phones, motorcycles, and other valuables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a separate operation carried out on July 12, 2026, at about 4:30 p.m., operatives attached to the Oghara Division intercepted a silver Lexus RX330 SUV bearing registration number GRA-168AM during a routine surveillance patrol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the police, the vehicle and its occupants are currently under investigation as detectives continue efforts to determine their possible involvement in criminal activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, on July 10, 2026, at approximately 2:00 p.m., operatives of the Ogwashi-Uku Division responded to a distress call from the Polytechnic area, where they arrested a 24-year-old non-student suspected to be a member of the Eiye Confraternity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Items recovered from the suspect include one locally made pistol, three live cartridges, one expended cartridge and one dagger knife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The suspect remains in police custody while investigations continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a related development, the Delta State Police Command recently arraigned 30 suspects following a large-scale intelligence-led raid on criminal hideouts, brothels, and suspected illicit drug dens across the Asaba metropolis on Saturday, July 4, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among those arraigned was Prince Chizoba Ojokwu, 63, proprietor of Prince Tarvan 50 Brothel, who was charged before the Asaba Magisterial District Court for allegedly permitting his premises to be used as a brothel and procuring women and girls for prostitution\u2014offences punishable under Sections 223 and 224 of the Criminal Code Law of Delta State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The remaining 29 suspects were arraigned on charges relating to conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace and possession of illicit drugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reacting to the recent operations, the Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to combating crime through intelligence-driven policing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He assured residents that every lawful arrest would be followed by diligent investigation and prosecution, while warning operators of criminal hideouts and illicit establishments that the command would sustain high-intensity operations aimed at eliminating criminal activities across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking on behalf of the command, SP Bright Edafe appealed to members of the public to continue providing timely, credible, and actionable information to security agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He assured residents that all information received would be treated with the utmost confidentiality, emphasizing that community cooperation remains essential in the fight against crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recent arrests and recoveries underscore the Delta State Police Command’s ongoing efforts to dismantle criminal networks through intelligence-led operations. As investigations continue, the command has reiterated its resolve to ensure that offenders are brought to justice while maintaining the safety and security of residents across the state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Jennifer Godday Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have arrested eight suspects in connection with alleged armed robbery, cultism, and unlawful possession of firearms during separate intelligence-led operations across the state. The operations also led to the recovery of four locally made firearms, four live cartridges, one expended cartridge, and a dagger. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":2,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[377,542,485,543],"class_list":["post-2010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trendingnews","tag-asaba","tag-benin","tag-illegal-fire-amrs","tag-robbery-gang"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2010"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2035,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2010\/revisions\/2035"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}