Police arrest suspected gunrunner, rescue four kidnap victims in Delta

The police in Delta State, South-south Nigeria, said they have arrested Sunday Yerakpo, a 35-year-old man, for being in possession of four locally-made rifles in the state.

The police spokesperson in the state, Bright Edafe, in a statement on Wednesday, said the suspect had concealed the rifles under the seat of his motorcycle.

Mr Edafe, a deputy superintendent of police, said investigations showed that the suspect is into gunrunning and that one of his accomplices, Ose Ogboyen, sent him to deliver the rifles to a client known as Saputu.

The police spokesperson said the suspect was arrested on Tuesday with the four rifles when a crack squad of the police in the state conducted “an intensive” stop-and-search operation at Aragba Junction along Sapele-Aghalokpe Road in Okpe Local Government Area of the state.

The police squad was deployed by Paul Oboware, the divisional police officer (DPO) in-charge of Orerokpe Police Division in the state, he said.

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“Efforts to arrest the said Ose Ogboyen and Saputu are ongoing,” he stated.

The arrested suspect hails from Orhuwhorun, a community in Odu Local Government Area of the state, the police said.

Rescue of kidnap victims

Mr Edafe said the police, in a separate operation the same day, rescued four kidnap victims in Orerokpe, a community in Okpe Local Government Area of the state.

The police spokesperson said the victims were rescued when police operatives in collaboration with troops of the Nigerian Army and some members of a local vigilante tracked down the kidnappers inside bushes in the area.

He said the operation was in response to a report made at Orerokpe Police Division about the kidnap of the victims on Monday.

The victims – all residents of Orerokpe Community – were kidnapped on transit along Abraka-Eku Expressway by Orerokpe Bridge in the council area, according to the statement.

Mr Edafe said the kidnappers were demanding N10 million ransom, before the DPO of the Orerokpe Police Division, Mr Oboware, led the combined team of security operatives to comb the bushes.

“They combed the bushes relentlessly putting pressure on the kidnappers who on sighting the rescue team hastily abandoned the victims and took to their heels,” he said.

“Consequently, all the victims were rescued and taken to the hospital where they were treated, discharged, and have since been reunited with their families,” the police spokesperson stated, adding that efforts to arrest the fleeing suspects were on.

The Commissioner of Police Delta State, Wale Abass, has assured residents of the state that the sustenance of peace remains the utmost priority of the police in the state, Mr Edafe said.

Mr Abass urged the resident to support the police with information that will aid them in crime fighting.