Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Commissioner of Police in Delta State, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, has issued a sweeping directive to all security agents, vigilante groups, forest guards, and other recognised civil security outfits to intensify intelligence gathering and launch a coordinated offensive to root out all bandits and criminal elements hibernating in the forests across the state. The directive, issued on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, during a strategic security meeting with patrol and guard officers of all police divisions, leaders of vigilante groups, forest guards, and other community-based security outfits, represents a significant escalation in the command's efforts to combat kidnapping, armed robbery, and other violent crimes that have plagued rural and riverine communities in Delta State.
Addressing participants at the meeting, which was also attended by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations and other members of the command's management team, CP Oyeniyi emphasised the need for heightened surveillance of roads, waterways, railway corridors, and bush paths, noting that criminal elements often exploit such locations to perpetrate kidnapping, armed robbery, and other forms of criminality. The police commissioner directed the security outfits to sustain patrols of forests, rural communities, and critical access routes, while also strengthening intelligence gathering to preempt and disrupt the activities of criminal networks operating in the state.
Commending vigilante groups and other community-based security outfits for their contributions to maintaining peace and security across Delta State, CP Oyeniyi stressed that their operations must be conducted strictly within the law and coordinated with the Police. He directed that their activities at the local level be streamlined under the respective Divisional Police Officers, noting that effective community policing depends on collaboration, sustained patrols, and timely intelligence sharing. The CP warned against unlawful detention, torture, dehumanising treatment, and the use of security outfits to settle personal scores, directing that persons arrested must be promptly handed over to the nearest Police station. He further charged leaders of the outfits to discipline their members, identify and remove criminal or errant elements from their ranks, and refrain from shielding anyone who acts outside the law.
The directive comes amid growing concerns over the activities of bandits and kidnappers who have been using the state's vast forest reserves and waterways as hideouts to launch attacks on communities and travellers. CP Oyeniyi reaffirmed the command's commitment to strengthening collaboration with genuine security partners operating within the legal framework, adding that the engagement would be sustained and replicated across all Local Government Areas of the state to enhance coordination, intelligence sharing, and grassroots security. The police commissioner's directive signals a determined effort to dismantle criminal networks and restore public confidence in the state's security architecture.
The strategic security meeting, which was held at the command's headquarters in Asaba, marks the beginning of a sustained campaign to flush out criminal elements from their hideouts and ensure the safety of lives and property across Delta State. As the security outfits intensify their patrols and intelligence-gathering efforts, residents have been urged to cooperate with security agencies and provide timely and credible information to support the operation. The Delta State Police Command has reiterated its zero-tolerance stance on criminality and warned that anyone found harbouring or aiding bandits will face the full weight of the law.
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