The Delta State Police Command has paraded over 30 suspects involved in crimes such as robbery, kidnapping, cultism, and murder, among others, while also recovering 150 arms, including 32 AK-47 rifles.
The state Commissioner of Police, Abaniwonda Olufemi, disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing journalists at the command’s headquarters in Asaba.
Olufemi noted that the arrests and recoveries were part of the command’s efforts to combat crime since he assumed office as the 22nd Commissioner of Police in February 2024.
“These suspects were arrested in the past month. While we have faced challenges, the support of other security agencies, stakeholders, and the good people of Delta State has enabled us to restore peace to a reasonable extent,” he said.
One of the cases highlighted was the tragic death of a 10-month-old baby, Prevail Jonathan, reported missing on December 4, 2024.
The police later recovered the child’s lifeless body from the Aviara community river.
During the investigation, the baby’s mother, Blessing Ibuku, confessed to throwing her child into the river on November 31, 2024.
According to her confession, she acted due to mockery from friends who teased her about the child being fatherless.
The suspect is currently in custody, and investigations are ongoing.
Also on November 27, 2024, the command acted on a distress call regarding a kidnapping incident along DLA Road in Asaba.
Four armed hoodlums operating in a Toyota Camry with registration number BLF 490 AA abducted a man and a woman and stole a Toyota Camry belonging to one of the victims.
The command’s Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Squad led by its commander, tracked the suspects to the Asaba-Benin Expressway.
Although the kidnappers had released the victims, they abandoned their operational vehicle upon sighting the police and fled into a nearby bush.
Recovered from the suspects’ vehicle were an AK-47 rifle with a defaced breach number, two pump-action guns, one magazine, eight rounds of AK-47 ammunition, and 21 live cartridges concealed under the engine.
In another operation on December 2, 2024, operatives of SAKCCS, in collaboration with the Rapid Response Squad and Buffalo Squad, raided a hideout behind Anioma Market, Asaba. Ten suspects linked to a series of robberies in Asaba, Okpanam, and Issele-Uku were arrested, and arms were recovered.
CP Olufemi also revealed the arrest of one Destiny Lawrence, who confessed to being hired by a native doctor, Jonah, from Otolokpo community, to kidnap a young boy for N30,000. Lawrence lured the victim to an uncompleted building, where Jonah reportedly slit the boy’s throat.
Providing a scorecard of the command’s achievements, Olufemi said a total of 678 suspects were arrested, while 150 arms, including 32 AK-47 and AK-49 rifles, were recovered within the review period.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Delta State Police Command to ensuring the safety and security of residents while calling for continued cooperation from the public in providing actionable information.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
