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By Oghenekevwe Arese
The Delta State Police Command has arrested eight suspected armed robbers who have been terrorizing the Asaba metropolis. The arrests were made following complaints from residents in Bonsaac, Okwe, and other areas in Asaba about house-to-house armed robbery incidents.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe, “Consequently, on May 8, 2024, the newly posted DPO CSP Edewor Akponegware received credible information from a concerned resident (name withheld) that he cited some suspicious-looking boys around the Mango Tree Market and that they were armed.”
The DPO immediately led patrol teams to the scene, resulting in the arrest of seven suspects: John Dalami, 25; Musa Suleiman, 25; Abdullahi Jibril, 20; Solomon Uchechukwu, 24; Yusuf Joda, 21; Egboka Chukwu Charles, 21; and Wisdom Syvester, 21.
Edafe said, “The search was conducted at the scene and the following items were recovered: A Baco bag containing a locally made cut-to-size gun and one live cartridge.”
The suspects have confessed to being involved in a series of house-to-house armed robbery operations in Issele-Asagba, Coka, and Ibusa areas. Acting on their confessions, the Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cybercrime Squad led operatives to their hideout at the back of the DDPA Estate, Asaba, where six additional suspects were arrested and three locally made cut-to-size guns were recovered.
In a related development, the Delta State Police Command has apprehended a suspected self-kidnapper, Nelson Eserada, and his accomplice, Jerry Lawrence. The command’s spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe, announced this on Thursday while speaking to newsmen in Asaba.
According to Edafe, the arrest was made following a complaint from Nelson Eserada’s father at the Abraka Division, reporting that his son had been kidnapped and the kidnappers were demanding a ransom of N50m in bitcoin. “The suspect also sent a video of the supposed victim tied and being tortured.”
Edafe explained that the DPO of Abraka, SP Fabian Ayameh, promptly launched a technical intelligence-led investigation, leading to the arrest of Jerry Lawrence in Jeddo Community, Warri, on June 10, 2024.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect conspired with the said Nelson Eserada, a 400 Level student of Banking & Finance Department of the Delta State University Abraka. The father had already paid the sum N5.2 ransom through a Bitcoin account belonging to the principal suspect Jerry Lawrence,” he said.
Edafe confirmed that the suspects are in custody, and the investigation is ongoing.
