For killing the gang leader and 3 others in a gun battle

Angry residents clash with Hausa indigenes and other northerners living in Abraka

Suspected kidnappers ensnared and laid an ambush for security operatives in the Abraka community, Delta State, after the police, vigilantes, and hunters killed four abductors in a joint operation in the university town. 

Some security officials were feared killed and injured in the ambush, while a commotion had broken out between residents of Abraka and northerners residing in the community over the ensnarement.

Vanguard learned that some hijackers attacked and killed two residents who went to the bush for a land transaction on Wednesday, and on receiving the report, the police mobilised to the scene with local hunters and vigilantes.

Marcus Dafe, a resident who joined the Monday protest against kidnapping in Abraka, which security agents disrupted, was shot dead by supposed kidnappers.

Both sides engaged in a shootout, but the police recovered and took away the two remains.

Not satisfied, the kidnappers, on a revenge mission for the killing of their gang leader and three others, mounted a siege on vehicles entering the Abraka community.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) got information and mobilised to the area, but the kidnappers, who had laid an ambush for them, opened fire on the security operatives.

The number of casualties was not ascertained, but unconfirmed reports said they injured some security operatives. 

The news of the attack on the security operatives incensed the residents, who unleashed venom on northerners living in the community.

Abraka was tense on Wednesday, which likely prompted the state governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, to summon an emergency security meeting today in Asaba.

The police had earlier on Wednesday claimed a major victory with the killing of four kidnappers troubling the Abraka community and the recovery of one AK-47 rifle.

Superintendent of Police SP Bright Edafe, who is the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Delta State Police Command, said, “The joint operation was carried out today, being 4/06/2025, at about 0300 hrs, following credible intelligence on the activities of suspected kidnappers along the Abraka Railway axis.”
“The joint operatives comprising the police, hunters, vigilantes, and anti-cult volunteers engaged the suspected kidnappers and recovered one AK-47 rifle, along with thirteen rounds of live ammunition.

“Four of the suspected kidnappers were shot during the gun duel and later gave up the ghost, while others escaped with gunshot injuries.
“During a preliminary investigation, a recently rescued kidnapped victim identified one of the deceased suspects as a leader of the gang that kidnapped him,” he said. 

The joint operation of the police, vigilantes, and anti-cult volunteers in Abraka followed the daily protests by residents and students to draw the Delta State government and police’s attention to the incessant kidnapping in the town, which security agents disrupted on Monday by shooting live bullets to stop the protesters.

The surprising ambush on the security operatives sparked a fresh tension in the town, with the authorities of Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, temporarily halting academic activities.