Delta State Police Command has rescued a woman who was abducted by gunmen in Sapele and arrested eight suspected criminals during a separate operation in Abraka, where three locally made pistols and suspected illicit drugs were recovered.
The Command disclosed the developments in a statement issued on Friday by its spokesman, SP Bright Edafe, who said the operations formed part of ongoing efforts to combat kidnapping, violent crime and other criminal activities across the state.
According to the police, the kidnapping occurred at about 7:45 p.m. on September 2, 2026, when the victim was attacked by armed men at the entrance of her residence along Eko Amukpe Road in Sapele.
The suspects reportedly intercepted the woman as she attempted to drive into her compound, fired several gunshots into the air to scare residents and whisked her into a nearby bush.
Edafe said officers of the Sapele Police Division swiftly responded after receiving a distress call. The Divisional Police Officer immediately deployed patrol and surveillance teams to the scene, where expended AK-47 ammunition shells were recovered.
He explained that police operatives, working alongside local vigilantes, launched a coordinated search of the surrounding bushes, maintaining pressure on the kidnappers throughout the night.
The sustained operation eventually forced the abductors to abandon their captive and flee.
The victim was rescued unharmed on the morning of September 3 and has since been reunited with her family.
The police spokesman added that efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects.
In another operation, operatives attached to the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) arrested eight suspects during intelligence-led raids on identified black spots in Abraka.
The operation followed an ongoing investigation into an attempted murder case reported on September 3, 2026.
The suspects were identified as Evans Adamda, Mamatime Micheal, Wale Morakinya, Anabono, Godspower, Theophilus Philip, Robinson Oghenewiro and Inoni Ejiroghene.
Police said three locally made pistols, Tramadol and other suspected illicit drugs were recovered during the raid.
The suspects remain in police custody while investigations continue to determine their individual roles in the attempted murder case and other alleged criminal activities in the area.
Reacting to the successes, the Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Samuel E. Erale, commended the officers and local vigilantes for their efforts.
He said, “The Command will continue to identify criminal hideouts, apprehend offenders and recover illicit weapons.”
The police commissioner also reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-led operations against kidnappers, cultists and other criminal elements across Delta State.
He urged residents to continue supporting security agencies by providing timely and credible information that could aid crime prevention and the arrest of offenders.