The Delta State Police Command has clarified that its officers are legally empowered to search individuals’ bags and pockets without a warrant once there is reasonable suspicion.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this on Saturday while reacting to the arrest of a suspected thief allegedly found with a firearm in Asaba.
Edafe, in a post on his official X account, explained, “Do the police have the right to search you randomly without a search warrant? The answer is yes. We can search you, your bag, and your pockets. What we cannot do is search your house or your phone without a warrant.”
He said the clarification followed the interception of a man by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad during a patrol around DBS Road, near Don and Master Lounge, in the early hours of Saturday.
According to him, the officers became suspicious of the man’s movement and decided to conduct a search, during which a gun, a magazine, and live ammunition were recovered from his bag.
“The young man was sighted carrying a bag in a suspicious manner. When he was searched, a firearm was discovered alongside other items,” Edafe explained in an accompanying video.
The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Bassey Udoh from Akwa Ibom State, was later found to be involved in generator theft within the state.
Edafe said investigations revealed that Udoh had been sneaking into compounds between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., scaling fences or using gates to cart away residents’ generators.
Udoh, who admitted to the crime, confessed to stealing generators from about nine homes in the past two months.
“I have not entered more than nine houses. Some people buy the generator for ₦40,000 or ₦35,000,” he told police interrogators.
On the recovered gun, the suspect denied using it for robbery, claiming it was only meant for show.
“I did not use it to rob. I just carried it to flex at a club. I usually put it in my waist,” he said.
The Delta Police Command assured that further investigations are ongoing and pledged to continue tightening security across the state.
