By Godwin-Maria Utuedoye
Delta State Police Commissioner, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda has said since he assumed office as the 22nd Commissioner of Police in the state, a lot of successes in crime fighting has been achieved.
In a press briefing held at the Commands headquarters Asaba, the state capital, CP Abaniwonda, disclosed that the command under his watch since February 2024, has recorded significant breakthrough in the fight against crime and criminality. He however admitted that the command have had some challenges, but noted that with the cooperation of other security agencies, stakeholders, and the good people of Delta State, they were able to surmount the challenges to a considerable extent and restored peace to the state.
Reiterating the position of the command in crime fighting, CP Abaniwonda noted that the mandate given to him by the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetoku is that the Police in Delta State must perform at optimal level and ensure that Deltans sleep with their two eyes close. He added that the command has reasonably delivered on this mandate as under his watch, the command has arrested over six hundred and seventy-eight suspects which includes; One Hundred and Thirty (130) suspected armed robbers, Eighty-Eight (88) suspected kidnappers, Seventy-Six (76) murder suspects, Three Hundred and Twenty-Nine (329) suspected cultists, Fifty-Four (54) suspects arrested for rape and defilement offenses.
He said a total of One Hundred and Fifty (150) firearms which includes Thirty-Two (32) AK-47/AK-49 rifles, Twenty-Seven (27) Beretta pistols, Seventy-Two (72) single barrel/locally made cut-to-size guns, and Nineteen (19) Pump action guns were recovered and lastly, a total of Five Thousand and Forty-Two (5,042) rounds of ammunition/cartridges were also recovered within the period under review. 
The CP while concluding the briefing said” “I would like to reiterate the fact that 85% of suspects arrested within the period under review were largely males and mostly youths. This clearly shows that parenting the male child is in decline, parents are therefore urged to look out for their male children as much as they do to their female children”.
He urge parents to pay attention to their company, peer groups, and whereabouts, and advised to talk to their children to shun all forms of cult-related activities, drug abuse, and other criminal vices.
“I also wish to state that the ban on tinted vehicles and the use of fireworks in Delta is still in force. This has become necessary to properly checkmate the activities of criminal elements who may want to take advantage of it. Deltans are advised to abide by these directives as anyone found wanting will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly”.
Abaniwonda assured members of the public of the command’s commitment in ensuring that they record a crime-free yuletide while admonishing all residents to be law-abiding. He called on Deltans to report any suspicious persons or movement within the environment either by reporting at the nearest Police station or calling any of the following control room numbers
– 08036684974
– 08114895600
– 08025666914.