Delta Police Say Kidnap Victim Rescued, 54 Held in Suspected Cult Operations
Police in Delta State say they rescued a 48-year-old kidnapped woman and arrested 54 people in separate suspected cult-related operations across the state.
The Delta State Police Command said officers rescued the woman from Ovade Forest on September 23 after receiving a distress report about her abduction.
According to the command, officers from Oghara Division, the Quick Response Squad, local vigilantes and hunters entered the forest as part of efforts to locate her.
Police said about four suspected kidnappers exchanged gunfire with the security team before retreating and abandoning the woman.
The command said she was rescued unharmed and was stable while undergoing debriefing.
Police report two deaths after forest operation
Police also reported two deaths connected to the pursuit of suspects following the rescue operation.
The command said one unidentified suspect was found lifeless and another was apprehended with gunshot injuries. The police statement said both were later confirmed dead at hospital.
The circumstances of the confrontation and the deaths have not been independently established.
Police said a dagger, identification and bank-card documents, a mobile phone and other personal effects were recovered during the operation.
Efforts to locate other fleeing suspects were continuing.
54 held in separate suspected cult operations
In separate operations, police said 54 people were arrested over suspected cult-related activities in Eku, Obiaruku and Ubulu-Uku.
Thirty people — 29 men and one woman — were arrested in Eku on September 19 after officers raided what police described as a suspected cult initiation gathering.
The command said its preliminary investigation linked the gathering to the alleged initiation of new members into the Black Axe Confraternity.
Twenty more people — 15 men and five women — were arrested in Obiaruku the following day as investigators pursued information arising from the Eku operation.
Police said investigations were continuing to establish the individual involvement of those detained.
Four other men were arrested in Ubulu-Uku in connection with a suspected cult-related killing.
The command said officers recovered a locally made single-barrel firearm, one live cartridge and a substance suspected to be cannabis during that operation.
Police said the four suspects were transferred to the Command Anti-Cult Unit for further investigation.
Arrests do not establish guilt
The operations have produced arrests and reported recoveries, but the criminal responsibility of those detained has not been established.
Police said investigations were continuing to determine individual involvement in the suspected cult activities and killing.
The next legal step will be important: whether charges are filed, what evidence supports the allegations against each suspect and what further investigation establishes about the two deaths connected to the Ovade operation.
For the rescued woman, the immediate outcome is clearer: police say she was recovered alive and unharmed.
