Nigeria Arrests 5 Pakistanis as 35 Phones Raise Questions

The Benue State Police Command says it has arrested five Pakistani nationals in separate intelligence-led operations in Otukpo and Ugbokolo, with investigators recovering a total of 35 mobile phones from the suspects.

Three of the men, identified as Younas Mohammad, Ahmad Nunil and Aslam Muhammad, were arrested on August 4 at Adoka Motor Park in Otukpo Local Government Area while allegedly attempting to board a vehicle heading towards Adoka village.

When questioned, the three reportedly told the police that they had travelled to Otukpo to market cosmetics and mobile gadgets, which would ordinarily sound like a straightforward business trip.

There was, however, one small problem with that explanation because according to the police, none of the cosmetics or mobile gadgets they claimed to be marketing was found in their possession.

And that is where a simple business trip apparently became an investigation, because when people say they are travelling somewhere to sell goods but the goods cannot be found, the police understandably begin asking the kind of questions that do not come with a quick answer.

The investigation did not end there because on August 5, another two Pakistani nationals were arrested at a hotel in Ugbokolo.

The two men, identified as Juma Sharif and Muhammed Sharif, reportedly told investigators that they were dealers in Android phones, and this time there was indeed something in the luggage that matched the story.

Only, there was quite a lot of it.

A search of their belongings reportedly led to the discovery of 11 Tecno Camon 50 Pro phones, while further investigation led police to another 23 Tecno Camon 50 Pro phones and one Infinix Hot 60.

That brought the total number of recovered phones to 35, and suddenly the question was no longer simply who sells Android phones, but what exactly was happening behind all these movements.

The Benue State Police Command said the arrests were the result of intelligence-led operations, while its spokesperson, DSP Orchia Peter Aondongu, announced the developments on Friday, August 7.

The identities of all five suspects have been made public, and the police have recovered the phones as investigations continue into their activities and movements within the state.

At the moment, the police account raises questions, but it is important to remember that an arrest and an investigation are not the same thing as a conviction, so the suspects are still entitled to due process while authorities work to establish exactly what happened.

Still, the story has already managed to produce one of those situations where the explanation and the evidence appear to be having a small disagreement.

Three men reportedly travelled to market cosmetics and gadgets but had none of those goods with them, while two others said they dealt in Android phones and investigators subsequently found 35 phones connected to the case.

So yes, the police have some explaining to do, the suspects have some explaining to do, and perhaps those 35 phones are also waiting patiently for their own chapter in this story.

Because in Nigeria, sometimes the journey starts as business, becomes intelligence-led, and before long everyone is asking the same question

What exactly were they doing in Benue?