NIGERIA: Delta Police Arrest Female Suspect, Recover Over 300 Live Rounds During Arms Trafficking Crackdown

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria 

The Delta State Police Command has recorded another breakthrough in its fight against arms trafficking with the arrest of two key suspects and the recovery of over 300 live rounds of ammunition.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Command’s spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe, said operatives of the CP Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT), led by ASP Julius Robinson, arrested a female suspect, Jamila Abubakar, at the Conoil Filling Station along Warri–Patani Road, Effurun, following credible intelligence from the Force Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU), Abuja.

According to Edafe, officers discovered a cash sum of ₦550,000 concealed beneath Abubakar’s bag, suspected to be proceeds from illegal arms transactions. Her arrest reportedly provided vital intelligence that led to a follow-up operation.

Edafe stated; “Building on the intelligence gathered, operatives stormed the Niger-Cat area of Warri, where they arrested a notorious arms dealer, Ahmed Ibrahim, aged 31, of Ekpan, Uvwie Local Government Area, at about 7:25 a.m. on October 22, 2025.”

A search of the suspect’s residence led to the recovery of a bag containing 115 rounds of 7.63mm AK-47 live ammunition, 220 rounds of SMG rifle ammunition, and 32 live cartridges.

Preliminary investigations, according to the police, revealed that Ibrahim is a major supplier of arms to bandit groups in northern Nigeria and has long been on the Command’s watch list. He is also allegedly linked to the kidnap and murder of Ogheneovo Onemu, a woman abducted on May 17, 2024, in Ajaokuta Community, Ughelli North LGA, despite the payment of a ₦4 million ransom.

Commenting on the operation, the Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, commended the operatives for their professionalism and described the breakthrough as a testament to the Command’s commitment to curbing the proliferation of illegal arms and dismantling criminal syndicates across the state.

He urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to provide credible information to the police, assuring that the Command would sustain its momentum in ensuring the safety of lives and property in Delta State.