The Gombe State Police Command has arrested four suspected cattle rustlers and recovered 330 domestic animals in a renewed crackdown on livestock theft across the state.
The arrests were made in separate operations carried out on January 8, 2026, following actionable intelligence and joint efforts involving police operatives, local vigilante groups and hunters.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Buhari Abdullahi, said the recovered animals included two cows, 274 sheep, 54 goats and one donkey.
According to the statement, one of the suspects, 17 year old Adamu Lawal of Kunnoma Village, Jagali North in Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area, was arrested at about 12.30 p.m. at Dasa Village. He was apprehended by police officers working with a local vigilante group known as Kungiyan Fulako.
Lawal was found in possession of 49 goats suspected to have been stolen in collaboration with two accomplices who are currently at large. Sixteen of the goats were immediately identified by their owner at the point of arrest, while the remaining animals were taken into police custody.
Later the same day, at about 8.45 p.m., police operatives and local hunters arrested another suspect, 16 year old Abdu Habu of Ruwan Gizo Village, Jigawan Iro. He was found with 115 sheep and one donkey believed to be stolen. His accomplice, identified as Bode, is said to be on the run.
Police said 23 of the sheep were identified by a victim whose name was withheld, while four others were confirmed to belong to residents of Garin Bako Village in Kaltungo Local Government Area.
In another operation, detectives from the Command Monitoring Unit intercepted 22 year old Amir Sulaiman, also known as Al’amin, at the Gombe Cattle Market at about 2.00 p.m. He was arrested with two cows suspected to be stolen.
“The suspect failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the ownership of the cows and later confessed that he received them from his accomplice,” the police said, adding that efforts were ongoing to trace the rightful owner and arrest the fleeing suspect identified as Joda.
Similarly, at about 10.30 p.m. the same day, hunters arrested 13 year old Shuaibu Adamu of Kunnoma Village, Jagali South, Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area. He was arrested at Garin Shanu Village, Jigawan Iro, with 159 sheep and five goats suspected to have been rustled in collaboration with another suspect, Rabo, who is currently at large.
Thirty of the sheep were later identified by a 60 year old victim from Garin Waziri Village, also in Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area.
All the suspects and recovered animals are currently in police custody, while investigations continue.
Commending the vigilance and cooperation of local vigilante groups and hunters, the Commissioner of Police, Umar Ahmed Chuso, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to tackling cattle rustling and other criminal activities in the state.
He urged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies, assuring that “all suspects involved in criminal acts will be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law.”
