In a fierce gun battle along a bush area near the railway line in Agbarho, operatives of the Delta State Police Command shot dead four suspected kidnappers, the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, confirmed yesterday.
According to Edafe’s statement, the confrontation began after a suspect—arrested on March 9, 2025, at about 11:30 p.m.—revealed the hiding place of an AK-47 rifle during interrogation. The police’s CP Special Assignment team swiftly moved to the location, where the gang members, upon spotting the officers, engaged them in a violent gun duel. During the exchange, four suspected kidnappers sustained gunshot injuries and were subsequently transported to the General Hospital in Ughelli for treatment. However, medical personnel later confirmed that all four had succumbed to their injuries. An AK-47 rifle, along with one magazine, was recovered at the scene, and the bodies have been deposited at the hospital morgue as investigations continue.
In a related development, police operatives in Ibasa community, Oshimili North Local Government Area, arrested another suspected kidnapper following a tip-off. Edafe explained that on March 12, 2025, around 11 p.m., an indigene reported at Ibusa Police Station that his friend’s wife had been kidnapped on March 7, 2025, and that he had delivered the ransom along with food items to the kidnappers. Acting on this useful information, the DPO of Ibusa Police Station mobilised a patrol team alongside local vigilantes to storm a bush area, leading to the arrest of suspect Abdulahi Isah, who is currently in custody as the investigation unfolds.
The dual operations highlight Delta State Police’s ongoing efforts to tackle kidnapping and other criminal activities in the region, amid growing concerns over the security challenges facing the area. Authorities have vowed to continue tracking down any remaining perpetrators behind the kidnapping ring.
