Police Detain Inspector, Girlfriend Over M!ssing Assault W£apon in Taraba

Police Detain Inspector, Girlfriend Over Missing Assault Weapon in Taraba

The Taraba State Police Command has detained a 45-year-old police inspector and his girlfriend following the mysterious disappearance of an assault rifle along the Wukari–Jootar Federal Highway.

Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the missing firearm belongs to Inspector Joshua Charles, attached to the Safer Highway Patrol team.

According to the report, the incident occurred on December 25 at about 3:00 p.m., when the inspector allegedly left his duty post for Wukari town, leaving behind three officers — Insp. Haruna Galadima, Insp. Isah Waziri and Insp. Umar Mohammed — who remained on duty.

Sources disclosed that at about 8:30 p.m., the inspector’s girlfriend, Ruth Alphancis, of Sabon Gari area, Jalingo, who has reportedly been cohabiting with him since August 2025, returned from Jootar village in Benue State and claimed she saw an unidentified person breaking out of the house.

On the inspector’s return from Wukari — allegedly in a drunken state — he discovered that his Type-06 assault rifle, loaded with 25 rounds of live ammunition, which he claimed to have left inside the room, was missing.
The breach number of the rifle could not be immediately confirmed.

Following the report, police operatives were deployed to the area, while search efforts were intensified to recover the missing firearm and track down those responsible.

Police sources confirmed that both the inspector and his girlfriend are currently in detention to aid investigation, as collaborative efforts involving local residents and hunters continue in a bid to recover the rifle.

A missing rifle on a major highway raises fresh security concerns.