Police Rescue Kidnapped Child

Author: Gist Correspondent

Delta State Police Command has rescued a kidnapped three-year-old girl, arrested suspected cultists, recoverd  firearms and part of a ransom payment.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, operatives of the Command Anti-Vice Squad (CAVS), Sector 2, Ughelli, rescued the kidnapped child and arrested one Kelvin Ogaga in connection with the abduction. The suspect, said to be a commercial motorcyclist entrusted with taking the child to school daily, allegedly kidnapped the girl and demanded a ransom of ₦500,000 from her family.

Police investigations revealed that the family later paid the ransom to secure the child’s release before operatives, acting on credible intelligence, stormed the suspect’s hideout in Ughelli and arrested him. Recovered from the suspect were ₦127,000 believed to be part of the ransom money, valuables allegedly purchased with proceeds of the crime, and the motorcycle used in carrying out the operation.

In another development, operatives of the Department of Operations’ Buffalo Team recovered a Beretta pistol during a stop-and-search patrol along the Power Line axis by Bonsaac. The police said a suspicious male fled on sighting the operatives, abandoning a black bag containing the firearm and an iPhone.

Similarly, operatives of the Ozoro Division arrested a suspected cultist identified as Michael Monday during a township patrol along Omovutotu Street in Ozoro. A search conducted on the suspect reportedly led to the recovery of a locally made cut-to-size single-barrelled gun and one cartridge.

Preliminary investigations linked the suspect to the Supreme Vikings Confraternity, popularly known as “Aro Bagger.”

Commending the operatives for their swift response and professionalism, the Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, Yemi Oyeniyi, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to fighting crime and protecting lives and property across the state. He also emphasized the importance of stop-and-search operations as an effective proactive policing strategy.

The police urged members of the public to continue providing useful information on suspicious persons and movements within their communities.