From Ben Dunno, Warri
Officers and men attached to Ekpan Division under Delta State Police Command, have recorded a major breakthrough in its operation by invading one of the most notorious criminal hideouts within its coverage area and recovering a cache of arms used by kidnappers, armed robbers and community youths in unleashing mayhem on residents.
Items recovered in an uncompleted building used as armoury by the criminal include; one (1) AK-47 Rifle with five (5) magazines loaded with One Hundred and Sixty-one (161) rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, one (1) Assault Rifle with two magazines loaded with fifty-nine (59) rounds of 5.56mm ammunition, two English pump-action guns, One Hundred and Ten (110) rounds of live cartridges, one (1) Double Barrel gun, one Single Barrel gun, one toy gun,l and cutlasses,
Also recovered at the scene during the comb operation by the police team led by the newly redeployed Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Ekpan Division, CSP Aliyu Shaba, were a bunch of charms wrapped in a cap used as protection during their operations.
Meanwhile, the police hinted that it has commenced a manhunt for the members of the syndicate who escaped from the scene during the invasion of the area in a sting operation.
Disclosing the recovery in a statement made available to newsmen in Warri, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Delta State Command, DSP Bright Edafe, noted that the breakthrough was sequel to the mandate given to new DPO by the Commissioner of Police, CP Wale Abass, to rid the volatile Ekpan community of violent crimes and other social vices, including youths restiveness that had plagued the area.
According to the statement; “Sequel to the numerous complaints from residents of Ekpan and environs on the antecedents of kidnappers and armed robbers in Ekpan, Warri, and environs, the Commissioner of Police Delta State, CP Wale Abass psc, ordered the deployment of CSP Aliyu Shaba to Ekpan Police Station with a clear mandate to sanitise the area and ensure that Ekpan and environs are safe for all resident”.
“Consequently, the newly posted DPO, CSP Shaba, acting on credible intelligence gathered on the hideout of suspected kidnappers, armed robbers, and the location of their weapons, on July 3, 2023, at about 1600hrs, led a combined team of policemen attached to Ekpan division and military personnel of 3 battalion Nigerian army Ekpan, on a sting operation and raided their hideout at Agadaga avenue off Jakpa road, Ekpan.
Continuing; “In the course of a thorough search conducted at an uncompleted building the following items were recovered; one (1) AK-47 Rifle with five (5) magazines loaded with One Hundred and Sixty-one (161) rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, one (1) Assault Rifle with two magazines loaded with fifty-nine (59) rounds of 5.56mm ammunition”.
“Others are two English pump-action guns, One Hundred and Ten (110) rounds of live cartridges, one (1) Double Barrel gun, one Single Barrel gun, one toy gun, cutlasses, and a bunch of charms wrapped in a cap were retrieved. While a frantic effort to arrest the criminal syndicate is ongoing”.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Wale Abass, psc, solicits maximum cooperation from members of the public, particularly Deltans, especially in the area of making available any useful information that will aid in crime fighting to the police,” he stated.
Meanwhile, a security watch group, Warri Urban Security Network (WUSN), has applauded the police for this breakthrough and particularly commended the newly posted DPO Ekpan Division, CSP Aliyu Shaba, for his commitment to duty in all the places he had served since his deployment to the state Police Command.
The group in a statement signed by Chief Frank Adagbabiri, and Barrister Chinedu Ejiofor, Chairman and Secretary respectively, urged the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, to recognize and promote CSP Aliyu Shaba, for his doggedness and commitment to crime fighting wherever he was being posted to serve.
“We have taken time to study the performance of CSP Shaba since his deployment to Delta State and we can attest to the fact that he has carried out his primary policing assignments diligently and his efforts have contributed to curbing crime waves in Warri and its environs, especially notorious Udu area from where he was just recently redeployed to Ekpan.
“We have also noted that since he came to Ekpan Division he had not relented and that accounted for this latest breakthrough in the sophisticated arms and ammunitions that were recently recovered in the area.”
“We are therefore using this medium to call on the Acting police boss, IGP Kayode Egbetokun and the Delta State Police Commissioner, CP Wale Abass, to recognize the efforts of CSP Shaba and single him out for special promotion so as to encourage him and others to continue to do more for the force,” the body stated.