Four suspected female arms dealers who belong to a syndicate that specialises in supplying arms to armed robbers in different parts of the country, especially in the North-east have been declared wanted by the Taraba State Police command.

Taraba Police Commissioner, Aliyu Musa, who made this known to Daily Trust in Jalingo yesterday gave the names of the suspects as Awotu, Akudi, Abanyi and Akwen.

He said all of them belong to the same family and hail from Wukari Local Government Area of the state. According to Musa, the leader of the arms syndicate is Awotu [surname] withheld while the remaining three: Akudi, Abanyi and Akwen are her daughters who supply arms to criminals in different parts of the country.

The declaration of the four by the Police followed the recent arrest of a suspected member of the syndicate, Mohammed Abubakar, in Gassol area of the state, the Commissioner explained.

Abubakar who was arrested with a large cache arms and ammunition, including machine guns, was said to have made confessional statements that implicated the four females who he said belong to the same family with Abubakar. Abubakar was subsequently charged before a Jalingo High Court where he is currently standing trial.

Efforts by the Taraba State Police command to arrest the four have proved difficult as they were said to have run into neighbouring Chad republic.

The Commissioner said the four female suspects have been placed on their wanted list, adding that as soon as they resurface in Taraba State they would be arrested.