Delta: Police bust kidnap, ‘One Chance’ gangs in Ughelli, Warri

The Delta State Police Command has recorded a major breakthrough in its ongoing crackdown on criminal syndicates, arresting several suspected kidnappers and armed robbers in coordinated operations across Ughelli, Warri, and Agbarho.

Acting on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, Delta State, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, a kidnapping case initially reported at the Isiokolo Police Station and involving one arrested suspect, Augustine Ojanuware, was transferred to the Command’s Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT).

Upon further investigation, Ojanuware reportedly confessed to being a member of a kidnapping and armed robbery syndicate terrorising Ughelli, Warri, Agbarho, and Sapele.

On 28th June 2025, the suspect led police operatives to hideouts in Osubi (Warri) and Ughelli, where two more gang members were arrested: 27-year-old Precious Urhobowin of Ewu Community and 32-year-old Julius Okpako of Oviri-Ogor, both in Ughelli North Local Government Area.

Okpako, who owns a POS machine used in collecting ransom, was found in possession of a locally made gun and eight rounds of live cartridges.

Preliminary investigations linked the suspects to the abduction of a pharmacist from her residence in Ughelli on 19th June 2025.

She was released after five days upon the payment of an undisclosed ransom, while her Lexus Jeep was abandoned along the Isiokolo axis.

The syndicate is also implicated in an attempted kidnap and car robbery on 28th April 2025 in Iyede, where the victim’s Toyota Corolla was stolen.

Meanwhile, in a separate sting operation, police have arrested three suspects believed to be members of a notorious robbery syndicate known as “One Chance”, which targets unsuspecting passengers who board commercial tricycles.

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Responding to a series of complaints from the public, operatives of CP-SAT, led by ASP Julius Robinson, stormed Agbarho town on 28th and 29th June and arrested Lucky Oghenerobor, 37, of Olomoro community in Isoko South LGA, alleged to be the gang leader and owner of their operational tricycle.

Further arrests were made in Ughelli, including 24-year-old Olamide Fagbaigbe from Akure, Ondo State, and 37-year-old Umeh Akpan from Eket, Akwa Ibom State.

The trio confessed to carrying out their robberies across Ughelli, Warri, and Sapele. Police recovered 16⅝ suspected stolen mobile phones from the suspects.

CP Abaniwonda has reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to eradicating crime in the state, urging residents to support the police with timely and credible information.

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