In a recent operation, the Delta State Police Command has apprehended three teenagers suspected of being involved in armed robbery. The operation took place at their ‘Shawarma’ joint base located at the well-known Enerhen Junction in Warri.

The two male suspects, identified as Idigbe Osreis (19) and Idigbe Perfect (16), were apprehended at their hideouts, thanks to the vigilant efforts of an undercover police operative who had observed one of the teenage suspects, Gift Peace. Following a trail, Gift Peace was apprehended at a Suya spot.

The incident unfolded on September 29, 2023, when the Divisional Police Officer ‘B’ Division, Warri, SP Bolarinwa Alabi, received a distress call regarding an armed robbery operation at Giwamu Junction in Warri. Acting under the directive of the state commissioner of police, CP Wale Abass, DPO Alabi initiated an intelligence-led operation that led to the arrest of a 14-year-old suspect at the aforementioned Suya spot.

During interrogation, the 14-year-old suspect confessed to being part of an armed robbery gang responsible for terrorizing Warri and its surroundings, revealing that he had been involved in criminal activities since the tender age of seven. Subsequently, he provided information about other gang members and their hideouts.

The Delta State Police Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe, confirmed these events in a signed statement. He reported that when the operatives confronted the gang members at their hideout, they opened fire from their unregistered operational tricycle. The police responded appropriately, resulting in one suspect, identified as the gang’s leader, sustaining serious gunshot injuries and later succumbing to them in the hospital. The remaining gang members managed to escape.

Among the items recovered from the suspects were their operational tricycle, a locally made cut-to-size single-barrel gun with expended cartridges, and three live cartridges. The police are actively pursuing the fugitive gang members and striving to retrieve more of their operational weaponry.

In light of this incident, the Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Abass, underscored the importance of responsible parenting as a crucial element in the fight against crime. He urged parents to fulfill their responsibilities by monitoring and imparting valuable life lessons to their children, thus steering them away from negative influences and criminal activities.