BY OUR CORRESPONDENT – Following a swift intelligence sweep that rattled local communities in two Local Government Areas of the State, the Benue Police Command has arrested five Pakistani nationals over suspected clandestine activities in what security sources described as whisper-quiet operations.
Reports indicated that the Police swooped into the heartlands of Otukpo and Okpokwu, seizing a massive cache of digital devices and triggering urgent security questions across the state as the five suspects ended up in handcuffs.
Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Peter Aondongu, disclosed that the police recovered 35 mobile phones from the arrested foreigners in separate intelligence-led operations in Otukpo rural town of Otukpo LGA and Ugbokolo community in Okpokwu LGA of the state.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Aondongu said the suspects were arrested on August 4 and 5, 2026, following credible intelligence received by the command of their activities and movements in the areas, adding that three of the suspects, identified as Younas Mohammad, 36; Ahmad Nunil, 38; and Aslam Muhammad, 46, were arrested on August 4 at Adoka motor park in Otukpo LGA while attempting to board a vehicle to Adoka village.
He further explained that the suspects claimed during preliminary questioning that they were in Otukpo to market cosmetics and mobile gadgets, but none of the said items was found in their possession, raising questions about their activities and movements in the area.
According to the police spokesperson, in a separate operation the following day, two other Pakistani nationals, Juma Sharif, 30, and Muhammed Sharif, 25, were arrested at a local hotel in Ugbokolo following intelligence received by the police, noting that both suspects claimed to be dealers in Android phones, prompting the police to search their belongings, during which 11 Tecno Camon 50 Pro mobile phones were recovered.
Aondongu said further investigation and operational follow-up led to the recovery of 23 additional Tecno Camon 50 Pro phones and one Infinix Hot 60, bringing the total number of mobile phones recovered from the five suspects to 35.
He also said the suspects have since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Makurdi, for further investigation into their presence, activities and movements in the state, adding that the Command was investigating the possibility that the possession of the phones could be a decoy for other activities in rural areas of the state, noting that the suspects had difficulty speaking or understanding English.
Assuring that investigation was ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding their presence and activities, the Command Spokesman quoted the State Commissioner of Police, CP Cletus Nwadioogbu, as commending officers involved in the operations as well as members of the public whose information contributed to the arrests.
The Police Commissioner urged residents to report suspicious activity immediately, pledging closer community collaboration to neutralize threats, prevent criminal activities and safeguard lives and property across the state.
