37-year-old Bomb Expert Arrested In Taraba

File Photo

Operatives of the Taraba state police command have arrested a 37-year-old bomb expert.

The alleged terrorist, whose name was given as Bala Umar, was yesterday paraded before newsmen by the state Commissioner of Police, Abimbola A. Shokoya.

The suspect who was arrested in Tella town of Gassol local government council of the state was allegedly armed with a pistol loaded with seven roads of live ammunition.

Explaining how the suspect had gone to the house of one Usman Yaki of Gunduma village and attempted to kill him but failed, Shokoya said the police in collaboration with a vigilante team after being alerted, subdued the criminal and arrested him.

The suspect has reportedly admitted to being a member of the Boko Haram sect following an investigation by the Command.

He was also said to have confessed to being a member of a robbery and kidnapping gang that has been terrorizing Niger, Kogi and Taraba States.

The Commissioner who further stated that a search was conducted in the suspect house, listed 198 pieces of 7.6mm live ammunition, 558 assault live ammunition, one pistol breech No. Cz 999 scorpion with side rounds of ammunition, as items recovered from his house.

Other items include; 20 plastic bottles of sodium azide acid, 8 plastic of Kermi acid, 27 plastic bottles of the locally made bomb, 3 face masks, 3 pullover jackets, a bunch of cable wire and 36 lighters, he said were as well recovered from his premises.

He said two empty magazines of Ak 47 rifle and assault rifles were discovered in his home and that concerted efforts to track down his accomplices whom the Commissioner named as Abubakar Lawal and Abdullahi Garba.