In a decisive blow against organised crime in Delta and Edo States, the Delta State Police Command has arrested the alleged spiritualist behind a notorious kidnapping syndicate, foiled multiple abduction plots, and apprehended 184 suspected internet fraudsters in a series of coordinated operations.
The breakthrough came on July 19, 2025, when operatives of the CP-Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT), acting on credible intelligence, arrested 63-year-old Joseph Saniyo of Ajakorama Community in Ovia South-West Local Government Area of Edo State. Saniyo, a traditional spiritualist, is believed to be the chief ritual consultant to a kidnapping gang led by one Owei Abebo, also known as “Adusa,” who has been on the police watch-list since 2021.
Saniyo was found in possession of three live tortoises and other fetish items reportedly used to provide “spiritual fortification” for the criminal gang.
His arrest, according to Delta State Police Command spokesman, SP Edafe Bright followed the capture of another suspect, Peter Benson, a 35-year-old native of Kwale in Ndokwa West Local Government Area of Delta State, who was also identified as a ritual facilitator for the syndicate.
Information provided during interrogation led the CP-SAT team, under the leadership of ASP Julius Robinson, to the arrest of the gang leader, Owei Abebo, in Oghara. Two other accomplices—Ebi Maye, 41, from Poloborbor Community in Warri North LGA, and Happy Obegha, 39, of Aakoroma Community in Ovia North-East LGA, Edo State were also apprehended.
A search of the suspects’ hideouts yielded a cache of two hundred and forty-seven (247) rounds of live ammunition for a Submachine Gun (SMG) rifle. Investigations revealed the gang had been planning a wave of high-profile kidnappings across Sapele and Oghara before their plans were intercepted and foiled by the police.
In a separate but equally significant operation, the Command, in collaboration with the Nigerian Army, cracked down on a suspected cybercrime hub in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area. On July 21, 2025, acting on intelligence, operatives of the Ekpan Division and army personnel raided a location within Post Housing Estate, resulting in the arrest of one Kelvin Odini, 33, and 183 other suspected internet fraudsters.
The raid yielded the recovery of 273 assorted laptops, 97 smartphones, an iPad, a table phone, nine laptop chargers, and two Wi-Fi routers. Authorities suspect that the location was being used for cyber fraud and potentially terrorism financing activities.
All arrested suspects and seized items are in police custody, as investigations continue to identify additional collaborators and determine the full scale of their operations.
Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Abaniwonda Olufemi, commended the officers for their professionalism and swift response to intelligence. He reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing, community safety, and the dismantling of criminal networks threatening peace and development in Delta State.
“Delta State will remain uninhabitable for criminal syndicates,” CP Olufemi declared, pledging intensified surveillance and community engagement to safeguard lives and property.
