Delta State police say five people were taken into custody on September 19 after separate operations in Orerokpe, Ekpan and Agbor that yielded firearms, vehicles and a haul of household equipment believed to be stolen.
The command’s public relations officer, Bright Edafe, said officers from Orerokpe, working with members of the Civilian Anti-Cult group in Osubi, stopped two Toyota Sienna vans on the Warri, Sapele Road carrying musical equipment. Most occupants fled, but 45-year-old Lawrence Onowenakpo was arrested. A subsequent search turned up three locally made single-barrelled long guns and one live cartridge.
According to the police statement, Onowenakpo named Ajeh Zephaniah, known as Fanta, as the gang leader. Edafe said Zephaniah had been previously arrested, arraigned for armed robbery and later released on bail for health reasons. Investigators then searched a scrap yard in Warri they suspect served as the group’s base, and recovered three motorcycles alongside a large number of household items including 22 air-conditioners, 13 washing machines and 29 motorcycle and tricycle engines, together with musical equipment, television sets, a generator and a laptop.
Edafe added that the preliminary probe links the recovered items to recent armed robberies along the Kwale and Warri corridors, and that police efforts are ongoing to arrest Zephaniah and other suspects still at large.
In Ekpan, officers answering a distress call arrested 23-year-old Meshach Onovoisa and seized a locally made single-barrelled gun. The police statement says Onovoisa allegedly admitted involvement in armed robbery during initial questioning.
A separate Agbor operation produced three more arrests. Officers detained Agbaja Promise, 20, Emmanuel Ovieh, 25, and Odiri Dama, 25, all from Benin City, after they tried to sell a Hijet minibus, registration BEN-485-XH, for ₦300,000 without paperwork. The vehicle was recovered and its owner located and contacted.
Commissioner of Police Samuel Erale praised the operatives and members of the public who provided information, and reiterated the command’s pledge to dismantle criminal networks across the state while calling for continued citizen cooperation.
