Police arrest five Pakistanis in Benue over ‘suspicious activities’, recover 35 mobile phones
The Benue State Police Command has arrested five Pakistani nationals over alleged suspicious activities in parts of the state and recovered 35 mobile phones from them.
The command’s spokesperson, Peter Aondongu, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, saying the suspects were arrested during separate operations carried out in Otukpo and Okpokwu Local Government Areas.
According to Aondongu, three of the suspects, identified as Younas Mohammad, 36; Ahmad Nunil, 38; and Aslam Muhammad, 46, were intercepted on August 4 at the Adoka Motor Park in Otukpo LGA.
He said the trio were about to board a vehicle heading to Adoka village when they were arrested.
During interrogation, the suspects reportedly claimed they had travelled to the community to sell cosmetics and mobile gadgets.
However, Aondongu said the police found none of the items they claimed to be selling in their possession, raising questions about their purpose for visiting the area.
He added that another operation conducted on August 5, based on intelligence, led to the arrest of two additional Pakistani nationals, identified as Juma Sharif, 30, and Muhammed Sharif, 25.
The two suspects were arrested at a hotel in Ugbokolo community, Okpokwu LGA.
According to the police, the suspects identified themselves as Android phone dealers.
A search of their belongings reportedly led to the recovery of 11 Tecno Camon 50 Pro phones.
Aondongu said investigators later recovered an additional 23 Tecno Camon 50 Pro phones and one Infinix Hot 60, bringing the total number of recovered mobile devices to 35.
The five suspects have since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Makurdi, where investigations are ongoing into their activities, movements and reasons for being in the state.
The command also said the suspects have limited ability to speak or understand English, adding that further investigation would determine the purpose of their activities and the circumstances surrounding their possession of the phones.