The Nigeria Police Force has recovered a firearm stolen during a deadly 2023 ambush in Taraba State that claimed the life of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Aminu Nuhu.

According to a statement signed by Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the recovery was made after the arrest of a notorious criminal, 40-year-old Umar Ahmad, by operatives of the State Intelligence Department (SID) in Taraba State in collaboration with local vigilantes.

Ahmad was apprehended at a roadblock in Jalingo on April 18, 2025, around 11:00 a.m. During interrogation, he led officers to Mayo Faran Village, a border area between Taraba and Adamawa states, where a thorough search yielded two AK-47 rifles, eight magazines, and 39 rounds of live ammunition.

One of the recovered rifles was confirmed to have belonged to the Taraba State Police Command and was taken during a 2023 ambush on the Anti-Kidnapping squad, during which ASP Nuhu was killed.

In related developments, police operatives in Katsina State, on April 19, 2025, foiled a kidnap attempt along the Funtua-Gusau highway. Officers from the Faskari Division engaged the bandits in a gun battle and successfully rescued ten victims unhurt.

Similarly, on April 17, 2025, operatives of the Fegge Divisional Headquarters in Onitsha, Anambra State, intercepted a suspicious shuttle bus on Port Harcourt Road. A search uncovered five pump-action rifles, eight live cartridges, and two handcuffs hidden in a bag of rice.

Later that day, a separate operation by the Rapid Response Squad/Anti-Kidnapping Unit in Anambra led to the arrest of 25-year-old Israel Akachukwu at his residence in Nkpor. A search of his apartment recovered additional weapons and cult-related items. Akachukwu reportedly confessed to being a member of the Vikings Confraternity and is assisting police in their investigation.