A joint security operation involving the Delta State Police Command and the SafeCity Security Service has led to the arrest of a suspected notorious kidnap kingpin, Abubakar Usman, following the rescue of a woman abducted in Delta State.
The victim, Mrs Blessing Chiedu, an indigene of Umunede Kingdom, was kidnapped on July 2, 2026, along the Ani-Ifekide Farm Road in Ubulu-Uku. According to security officials, her abductors demanded a ransom of ₦100 million from her family.
The spokesperson for the SafeCity Security Service, Harrison Gwamnishu, disclosed the development in a post shared on his X account on Wednesday. He said the incident was immediately escalated to the Delta State Police Command, prompting the deployment of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad based in Asaba, led by CSP Osakpolor.
Gwamnishu said operatives used the Hydra Tech Surveillance System to track the kidnappers, leading to a coordinated rescue mission. Mrs Chiedu was found alive and unharmed along the Ubulu-Unor/Ashama Road and safely rescued.
Following her rescue, security operatives intensified efforts to track down the suspects. In the early hours of Wednesday, surveillance technology reportedly traced the gang to a hideout in the Ogwashi-Uku/Adonta Forest, where a joint operation was launched.
According to Gwamnishu, a gun battle broke out between the security team and the suspected kidnappers. He said the operatives overpowered the gang, leading to the arrest of Abubakar Usman, while other members fled into the forest with their weapons.
He further alleged that preliminary investigations linked Usman and his gang to several kidnapping incidents across Igbodo, Umunede, and neighbouring communities, where victims’ families were reportedly forced to pay millions of naira in ransom.
The Delta State Police Command has yet to issue a separate official statement on the operation. Investigations are ongoing as security agencies continue efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
