Police Gun Down Notorious ‘Commander Liberty’, Recover AK-47, Pump-Action Guns in Delta

The Delta State Police Command has dismantled a notorious kidnapping and armed robbery syndicate operating in Sapele, culminating in the death of its leader, Liberty Kunu—popularly known as Commander Liberty or Double Agent—after a fierce gun battle with police operatives.

Addressing journalists in Asaba on Thursday, Commissioner of Police, CP Aina Adesola, said the operation followed a series of complaints linking Kunu and his gang to kidnapping, abduction and other violent crimes in Sapele and its environs.

According to the CP, on January 17, 2026, the command received a distress report over the abduction of three persons at the Boyo Road Junction, Sapele. While one of the victims escaped and reported at a police station, the remaining two were robbed of valuables estimated at ₦9 million.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the crime was carried out by a syndicate led by Liberty Kunu, who allegedly operated under the guise of a security volunteer group known as SOS. Acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the CP’s Special Assignment Team (CP-SAT), working with officers from Sapele Division, arrested Kunu alongside five members of his gang.

Those arrested include Twale Golly (33), Michael Kunu (25), Israel Ugwu (30), Ogaga Power (43), and Mercy Kunu (28). Police recovered five pump-action guns, a Beretta pistol and other incriminating items during the operation.

Further investigation, the CP disclosed, revealed that Kunu was a member of the Aye confraternity and was suspected to be in possession of an AK-47 rifle. Upon interrogation, he reportedly admitted the claim and led operatives on January 28, 2026, to a hideout in the Ibada-Elume community, where one AK-47 rifle and a locally fabricated revolver were recovered from the forest.

However, while retreating from the area, police operatives were ambushed along the Ibada-Elume express road by hoodlums suspected to be members of the gang, in an apparent attempt to free their leader. A gun duel ensued for over ten minutes, during which the police vehicle was riddled with bullets.

CP Adesola said Kunu and some police operatives sustained gunshot injuries and were rushed to the hospital. Kunu was confirmed dead on arrival, and his body has been deposited at the General Hospital, Sapele.

Other members of the gang remain in custody as investigations continue, while efforts are ongoing to track down fleeing accomplices who escaped with bullet injuries.

The Commissioner reaffirmed the command’s resolve to rid Delta State of criminal elements and warned against individuals parading as security outfits while engaging in criminal activities.