By Adeyanju Esther
Delta State Police operatives have neutralised a suspected kidnapper during a gunfight in a Delta community.
The operation also led to the arrest of three other suspects and the recovery of an arsenal of deadly weapons.
The Police Public Relations Officer for Delta State Command, SP Bright Edafe, revealed this in a statement released on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the incident took place on August 12, 2024, when the CP Special Squad, based in Ughelli, conducted an investigation with a previously detained suspect, Joel Ofoye.
The investigation led them to the Ewu community in Ughelli South LGA, where they were pursuing a notorious gunrunner supplying arms to the kidnapping ring.
“While the operatives were on the trail, they came under heavy attack by the suspect’s gang members, who attempted to rescue Joel Ofoye,” the statement read.
However, the police compelled the hoodlums to retreat during the ensuing gunfight.
The statement added that the injured suspect was promptly taken to the General Hospital in Ughelli but succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment.
A cache of weapons, including a Beretta pistol with four rounds of live ammunition, a pump-action shotgun with nine cartridges, and a locally fabricated revolver, was recovered from the gang.
In a separate development, the police reported that they have intensified their crackdown on a kidnapping ring following the abduction of a 29-year-old victim in Kokori Community, Ethiope East LGA, on February 17, 2024.
The victim, whose identity is withheld, was kidnapped at his residence in Sapele, and N5 million was transferred from his bank account by the kidnappers.
After regaining his freedom, the victim reported the incident to the police command.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, ordered a thorough investigation.
Acting on intelligence provided by the victim, the CP’s Special Squad, led by ASP Julius Robinson, raided the hideout of one of the ring’s key members, known as “Sapiro,” in Sapele.
A search of the apartment resulted in the recovery of another Beretta pistol.
The squad also arrested key members of the ring, 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 found to have received N1 million transferred from the victim’s account.The suspects have since admitted to their crimes.