The Delta State Police Command has arrested a 45-year-old man after intercepting a vehicle loaded with military camouflage uniforms, boots and hats, alongside cartons of suspected Tramadol and other illicit drugs.
The vehicle, a green Toyota Sienna with registration number KP 527 AAA, was intercepted by operatives of the Command’s Anti-Cult Unit in Asaba along the Onitsha-Ondo route in the early hours of Friday, September 18.
The operation followed intelligence received by the police indicating that a vehicle carrying suspected illicit drugs and military accoutrements was travelling from Onitsha towards Ondo State.
Police said the vehicle was intercepted at about 4:50am, with the driver, identified as Isaac Urji from Abia State, immediately taken into custody.
A search of the vehicle reportedly led to the recovery of cartons of suspected Tramadol and other substances, as well as military camouflage uniforms, boots and hats.
The police said investigators have commenced efforts to establish where the recovered items came from, where they were being taken and who else may have been involved in the movement of the consignment.
The interception has raised security concerns because of the presence of military-style clothing alongside suspected illicit drugs. Such uniforms and other military accoutrements can potentially be misused by criminals seeking to impersonate security personnel or conceal their identity during criminal activities.
The police, however, have not publicly established the intended use of the uniforms or linked the arrested driver to any specific criminal operation beyond the ongoing investigation.
The command also reported separate arrests in operations targeting suspected cultism and kidnapping-related activities across Delta State.
In Ika South Local Government Area, operatives of the Special Anti-Kidnapping Unit arrested two men, identified as 18-year-old Destiny Okafor and 22-year-old Sunday Bryan, during a covert operation in Alisheme Community.
Police said preliminary investigation indicated that the two suspects were members of the Neo Black Movement Confraternity. One locally fabricated single-barrelled gun, a battle axe, two cutlasses, mobile phones and a laptop were reportedly recovered.
In another operation at Issele-Uku in Aniocha North Local Government Area, police and other security personnel arrested four suspected cultists during a cordon-and-search operation.
The operation, which involved anti-cult police personnel, vigilantes, hunters and Forest Security operatives, reportedly resulted in the recovery of two locally made pistols, one pump-action gun and six live cartridges.
The separate operations form part of the command’s ongoing efforts to tackle kidnapping, cultism, illegal firearms and other security threats across the state.
The Delta State Commissioner of Police, Samuel Erale, said the command would sustain intelligence-led operations against criminal activities and urged residents to continue providing information that could assist security agencies.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the intercepted vehicle and its contents remains ongoing, with police seeking to trace the source and destination of the military clothing and suspected drugs and determine whether other individuals were connected to the consignment.
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