Police arrest suspected robbers who allegedly stole church equipment and loaded them into 2 vans

• Police intercepted two Toyota Sienna vans carrying musical equipment along the Warri-Sapele Road and arrested a 45-year-old suspect.

• Officers later searched a suspected gang hideout and recovered 22 air conditioners, 13 washing machines, 29 motorcycle/tricycle engines, guns and other items.

• Police said some of the musical equipment was suspected to have been stolen from a church, while investigations into the alleged robbery network are ongoing.

A police operation that started with two vans carrying musical equipment ended with investigators uncovering what they described as a suspected robbery den packed with guns, church equipment, air conditioners, washing machines and other items.

The discovery was made in Delta State after police intercepted two Toyota Sienna vehicles along the Warri-Sapele Road on September 19, 2026. Operatives from the Orerokpe Division, working with the Civilian Anti-Cult group in Osubi, reportedly became suspicious of the vehicles and their occupants.

The occupants allegedly jumped out and ran when they saw the security team. One of them, 45-year-old Lawrence Onowenakpo, was arrested.

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When officers searched the vehicles, they allegedly found three locally made single-barrelled long guns and a live cartridge alongside the musical equipment. But that was just the beginning.

According to the Delta State Police Command, Onowenakpo’s preliminary questioning led them to a scrapyard in Warri, which police suspected was being used as the gang’s operational base. What officers allegedly found there suggested the operation was much larger than the contents of the two vans had initially indicated.

Police said they recovered 22 air conditioners, 13 washing machines, 29 motorcycle and tricycle engines and three motorcycles. There were also television sets, a generator, a laptop and more musical equipment among the items recovered.

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Some of the musical equipment was suspected to have been stolen from a church, although the police statement did not identify the church or provide details of when the alleged theft occurred.

Police said Onowenakpo identified Ajeh Zephaniah, also known as "Fanta", as the alleged leader of the group. The command said preliminary investigations had also linked the suspected gang to recent armed robbery incidents in the Kwale and Warri areas.

Zephaniah and other suspected members who remain at large are being sought by investigators. The operation was part of a series of arrests announced by the Delta State Police Command.

In a separate incident in Ekpan, officers arrested 23-year-old Meshach Onovoisa after responding to a report about a man allegedly threatening people around the Scrap Yard area of Effurun-Sapele Road. Police said a locally made single-barrelled gun was recovered from him.

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In Agbor, police said three men — Agbaja Promise, Emmanuel Ovieh and Odiri Dama — were arrested while allegedly attempting to dispose of a Hijet minibus for ₦300,000 without producing ownership documents. The vehicle was recovered, and its owner was contacted.

The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, said investigations into the cases were ongoing.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Samuel E. Erale, commended the officers and members of the public whose information contributed to the operations and urged residents to continue providing credible information to the police.