Police Recover Stolen Rifle In Taraba, Nab 40-Year-Old Notorious Criminal

 

The Taraba State Police Command said they have recorded a significant success in its ongoing campaign against crime, with the arrest of a notorious suspect and the recovery of a cache of arms, including a rifle previously stolen from the Command.

 

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Command revealed that operatives of the State Intelligence Department (SID), acting on credible intelligence and in collaboration with a local vigilante group, apprehended a 40-year-old suspect, Umar Ahmad, at a roadblock in Jalingo.

 

The statement, signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, James Leshen, disclosed that the suspect, a native of London Maidoro in Gombe State, had been under surveillance for several months before his arrest around 11:00 a.m. on April 18, 2025.

 

Following his arrest, Ahmad reportedly led investigators to Mayo Faran, a village in Mayo Belwa Local Government Area—a border town between Taraba and Adamawa states where a search led to the recovery of two AK-47 rifles bearing serial numbers 1985 PT2021 and 08893, along with eight magazines and thirty-nine live rounds of ammunition.

 

Further investigations, according to the police,revealed that one of the recovered rifles, with serial number 08893, belonged to the Taraba State Police Command.

 

The weapon had been reported missing during a deadly ambush in 2023, when suspected kidnappers attacked a police anti-kidnapping unit during a rescue operation for Alhaji Buba Nyala, a second-class chief of Popule village in Yorro LGA. The ambush resulted in the death of ASP Aminu Nuhu, and the rifle was stolen in the aftermath.

 

Commending the officers for their swift and coordinated efforts, the Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Simon Bretet, reiterated the Command's determination to rid Taraba State of criminal elements.

 

He emphasized that the state would continue to be an unsafe haven for criminals and urged residents to support the police with timely and credible information to enhance security efforts.

 

Investigations into the case are said to still be ongoing, with expectations of further arrests and recoveries.