Police apprehend cultists, robbers, recover firearms 

By Stephen Asabase, senior correspondent

Delta State, Nigeria – Operatives from the Commissioner of Police Special Assignment Team (CP SAT) have made several significant arrests in a coordinated effort to combat cultism and armed robbery in the region. The operations, conducted on March 2 and March 9, 2025, resulted in the apprehension of multiple suspects and the recovery of various firearms.

This was contained in a statement by SP. Edafe Bright Police Public Relations Officer Delta State Command, Asaba.

In the first operation on March 2, 2025, CP SAT arrested 25-year-old Stephen Oma Odu, a suspected cultist and gun runner, in Sapele. Following his confession, a second suspect, 42-year-old Abel Festus, alias “Tompolo,” was apprehended in Oghara. A search of Festus’s residence yielded two pump-action guns and 24 rounds of live cartridges. Two additional suspects, Godspower Moses and Oloriode Owebe, were also arrested during the operation. Preliminary investigations suggest that these individuals are linked to the notorious Vikings’ confraternity.

In a separate raid on March 9, 2025, law enforcement officials arrested a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Bogbon Godwell, at their residence in Okpe Local Government Area. The couple was found in possession of a fabricated Beretta pistol and a live round of ammunition intended for delivery to a buyer in Sapele. Mrs. Uche Joshua acknowledged her role as a dispatcher of arms for her husband, who reportedly supplied weapons to various clients in Warri and Sapele. During the investigation, another associate, Junior Moses Ogedegbe, was also arrested, and efforts to uncover additional weapons and apprehend further suspects are ongoing.

The third operation, targeting suspected kidnappers, took place on the same day, March 9, 2025, in the towns of Jesse and Mosogar. Police arrested 26-year-old Festus Oboyo, a suspected kidnapper and internet fraudster, in whose possession a locally-made gun was discovered. While searching his residence, officers recovered a fraudulent identification card bearing his picture, indicating his involvement in internet scams. Other gang members, including Favor Omowo and Gift Omowo, were also apprehended, and investigations to locate remaining suspects are continuing.

The Delta State Police Command remains committed to tackling cultism and violent crime in the region, with ongoing investigations aimed at dismantling criminal networks.