The Delta State Police Command has arrested no fewer than 627 suspects for offences ranging from murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, and rape between January 2025 and the date, as part of intensified efforts to tackle crime across the state.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Olufemi Abaniwonda, disclosed this on Monday in Asaba while briefing journalists on the command’s operational achievements and progress recorded so far in the year. He also revealed that a total of ₦36 million in ransom paid by victims of kidnapping had been recovered during various operations.
Providing a breakdown of the arrests, Abaniwonda said 140 suspected armed robbers, 113 suspected kidnappers, 125 murder suspects, 187 suspected cultists, and 62 suspects linked to rape and defilement cases were taken into custody.
He further disclosed that police operatives successfully rescued 18 kidnap victims, while 28 vehicles and 144 arms of various types were recovered in the course of operations across the state.
According to the police boss, the achievements were the result of proactive, intelligence-driven, and community-centred policing strategies adopted by the command. He noted that close collaboration with sister security agencies and community stakeholders, including vigilante groups, anti-cult volunteers, the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), civil society organisations, and traditional rulers, had strengthened targeted operations against criminal networks.
Highlighting a recent breakthrough, Abaniwonda spoke on the investigation into the murder of a retired judge, Justice Ifeoma Okogwu, who was killed on November 24, 2025, at her residence.
He said that acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Asaba, arrested one Godwin Mngumi, a 25-year-old male and security guard attached to the deceased’s residence, on December 6, 2025.
According to him, the suspect was found in possession of one of the late justice’s mobile phones. During interrogation, Mngumi reportedly made a voluntary confession, admitting that he invited an accomplice, identified as Nnaji Obalum, a 21-year-old male, to carry out the crime.
Abaniwonda said the suspects confessed that on November 23, 2025, at about 9:30 pm, they, alongside a third suspect who is still at large, gained entry into the home of the deceased, tied her with a rope and cloth, and murdered her.
He added that the suspects later stole valuables belonging to the late justice, including two mobile phones and a wristwatch, which they sold for a small amount of money. One of the stolen phones was later recovered at Ogbogonogo Market in Asaba.
The Commissioner of Police said investigations were ongoing to arrest the fleeing suspect and ensure that all those involved in the crime are brought to justice.
