The Department of State Services (DSS) in Delta State has intercepted a large cache of sophisticated weapons in Asaba, prompting Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to order a full-scale crackdown on criminal syndicates across the state.
Governor Oborevwori issued the directive on Monday during a visit to the Delta State Command of the DSS, describing the interception as a “major breakthrough” in the state’s ongoing fight against insecurity.
“I am very delighted to be here today. I had to leave another important engagement to be here because the breakthrough recorded by our security agencies is highly commendable and significant to the peace and safety of our state,”
Oborevwori said.
The governor praised the DSS and other security agencies for their “strategic intelligence, coordination, and determination” that led to the seizure of the arms cache. He said the achievement underscored his administration’s commitment to maintaining peace and public safety across Delta.
Oborevwori warned that his government would not tolerate any form of lawlessness, particularly in Warri and surrounding areas, emphasizing that security remained key to economic development.
“Those who are planning to cause crisis should have a rethink: we want peace, not trouble. We are working tirelessly to open up Warri for investors and economic growth, but where there is violence, investors will stay away,”
he stated.
The governor vowed that anyone involved in killings, violence, or arms smuggling would be arrested and prosecuted. He described the smuggling of heavy arms into the state as a “direct threat to collective peace” and urged residents to cooperate with security agencies.
“Bringing in heavy arms and ammunition of this nature is unacceptable and a direct threat to our collective peace. We will not allow it under any circumstance,”
Oborevwori stressed.
On the recent killing of Jerry Aduara, a prominent indigene of Okere-Urhobo Kingdom and former chairman of the Odion Urhobo Youth Council, the governor ordered security agencies to arrest and prosecute those responsible.
“I have directed security agencies to arrest the person who shot and killed somebody in Warri. They should look for that person and bring him to book, including those backing him. Nobody involved will go scot-free because this is Delta State, and we want peace,”
he warned.
Oborevwori reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to sustaining peace, warning that no individual or group would be allowed to “take the law into their own hands.”
Earlier, Mr. Anthony Ifemeje, the Deputy Director of Operations at the DSS Delta Command, briefed the governor on details of the intelligence-led operation that led to the arrests.
According to Ifemeje, the raid, conducted on October 12, 2025, within the Asaba metropolis, resulted in the arrest of a notorious arms dealer, identified as Stephen Sabo Atoshi, along with his accomplice, a 40-year-old secondary school teacher from Taraba State.
He explained that the suspects were part of a network that trafficked small arms and light weapons from Sebha, southern Libya, through Chad, and into Nigeria via an illegal border crossing in Gidam, Yobe State.
“During interrogation, the prime suspect confessed to having been in the illegal arms trade for eight years and to supplying over 55 weapons, including General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs) and AK-47 rifles, across the country,”
Ifemeje disclosed.
Recovered items included seven GPMGs, several AK-47 rifles, five hand grenades, and other military-grade weapons, many of which were concealed in bags of beans transported from the North to the Oko Food Market along the Asaba–Onitsha Expressway.
In addition to the weapons, the DSS also uncovered 497 cartons of fake drugs intended for distribution within the state.
Ifemeje assured the governor that the DSS remained committed to intensifying intelligence operations, blocking arms supply routes, and dismantling criminal networks across Delta State.
