The Delta State Police Command says it has rescued a kidnapped victim unharmed and arrested three suspected cultists during coordinated anti-crime operations across parts of the state.
The operations, carried out in Okpanam, Asaba, and Kwale, also led to the recovery of a locally fabricated firearm and a quantity of suspected hard drugs, according to police authorities.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, said in a statement on Friday that the breakthrough followed sustained intelligence-led tracking by the Command’s Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Squad after the abduction of a resident in Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area on June 10, 2026.
He said operatives intensified pressure on the suspects, forcing them to abandon the victim in a forested area and flee.
“The sustained pressure mounted on the kidnappers through intelligence gathering and tactical deployment led to the rescue of the victim, who was found unharmed,” Edafe said.
The victim has since been debriefed and reunited with family, while security operations continue to track down the fleeing suspects.
In a separate operation in Asaba on June 12, operatives of the Distress 01 Patrol Team intercepted a commercial tricycle during a stop-and-search exercise along a major route. A search of the passengers led to the recovery of a locally fabricated Beretta-type pistol.
Three suspects — identified as Ewendeze De-Grace (19), Eruweghene Amede (20), and Chukwuemeka Arinze (21) — were arrested in connection with the weapon. Police said preliminary findings linked them to a cult group known locally as the Supreme Vikings Confraternity, also referred to as “Aro Bagger.”
Investigators believe the suspects may have been mobilizing for criminal activity before their arrest.
In a related development, police also raided a suspected drug distribution hub in Kwale, where a female suspect, Ananyi Vivian (45), was arrested. Two other suspects reportedly fled the scene.
SP Edafe said quantities of illicit drugs and pharmaceutical substances were recovered from the premises, which authorities believe served as a supply point for local criminal networks.
The new Commissioner of Police in Delta State, Yemi Oyeniyi, reiterated the command’s commitment to sustained intelligence-driven operations aimed at dismantling kidnapping syndicates, cult groups, and drug trafficking networks across the state.
He warned criminal elements to desist or face intensified enforcement actions in the coming weeks.
