THE Benue State Government has rejected claims by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, that thugs allegedly hired by Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration blocked his convoy from accessing Yelwata on Tuesday, September 8.
It described the claims as unfounded and an attempt to drag the governor and the state into alleged crisis within the NDC.
The ICIR reports that the former Anambra State governor narrated his experience in the state, saying, “I travelled to Benue this morning, arriving at approximately 9:00 a.m. on a purely humanitarian mission: to visit the grieving families affected by the horrific killings in Yelwata, where over 270 people were massacred.
“Regrettably, our convoy was prevented from proceeding to the community by thugs chanting, ‘Peter Obi, go back.’ It was deeply distressing to witness such hostility. I came to Benue not for partisan politics, but to mourn with our people, to listen to families who have lost loved ones, and to offer comfort at a moment of unimaginable sorrow. That a mission intended purely to show solidarity, compassion, and support could be obstructed in this manner is deeply alarming.”
Obi said his convoy was stopped by the thugs near the Nigerian Air Force Base along the Gboko-Makurdi Road while he was travelling from Makurdi to Yelwata.
The ICIR reports that Tuesday’s incident was not the first time Obi’s planned visit to Benue had been disrupted.
In April 2025, the Benue State Government warned against what it described as Obi’s unscheduled visit to internally displaced persons’ camps.
The former governor had planned to visit internally displaced persons (IDPs), health and education projects in the state but cancelled the trip after the state government said it could not guarantee the safety of visitors who arrived without its knowledge.
The government also said anyone intending to visit IDP camps must obtain permission from the Benue State Emergency Management Agency.
Obi disputed the government’s account at the time, saying he had attempted to contact the governor and that security personnel were informed about his itinerary.
The ICIR reports that killings in Benue State have spanned several years. While some blame cropper-herders’ conflict on the carnage, others label the assailants as foreign terrorists.
The state has remained one of Nigeria’s sub-nationals that have seen the worst attacks and killings from non-state actors.
Following the magnitude of the scores of lives lost in Yelwata attack last year, President President Bola Tinubu, who rarely personally visits scenes of such tragedies, travelled from Abuja to Benue to condone with the people.
Tinubu could not get to Yelwata during his one-day visit, as the Presidency blamed the failure on rain that fell on the day he visited the state.
Reacting to Obi’s latest claim on Tuesday, the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, said in a statement that the state had no knowledge of Obi’s visit and denied deploying or sponsoring thugs to prevent him from reaching Yelwata, Guma Local Government Area.
“The Benue State Government has rejected, in the strongest terms, claims by the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. @PeterObi that he was blocked by thugs working for the state government from accessing Yelewata to console with families of 2025 attacks,” he said.
The government also questioned whether Obi had actually visited Makurdi, saying it had every reason to doubt the former governor’s account based on what it described as his previous untrue statements concerning Benue State.
Kula said Obi was not a threat to Governor Alia and argued that, even if the presidential candidate were considered a security threat, the appropriate response would be through recognised security agencies rather than thugs.
“Governor Alia is a peace-loving Reverend gentleman. He is averse to the promotion of thuggery. In fact, his administration does not engage, patronise, or deploy thugs as instruments of governance or security,” he said.
He said the governor remained committed to the rule of law and relied on recognised security agencies to maintain peace and order in the state, questioning why Obi, as a presidential candidate, would arrive in Benue without formally informing the relevant security authorities.
“Ordinarily, such a visit would attract the attention and necessary security coordination involving the Commissioner of Police and other relevant security agencies,” he said.
Meanwhile, in clear contradiction with the government’s claim, the State Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, said the police were informed about Obi’s planned visit on Monday night and subsequently deployed officers to provide security for his movement to Yelwata.
Nwadiogbu said he instructed the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations) to personally lead the officers deployed for the assignment.
According to the commissioner, police personnel heard that youths had blocked the road because they did not want Obi to proceed.
The police chief said police tactically managed the situation but were investigating why the youths decided to block the convoy. He also said Obi’s decision to turn back helped prevent the situation from escalating.
The incident has triggered a fresh dispute between Obi and the Benue State Government.
The ICIR review of the videos from the scene shared by a photographer, Esther Umoh, on X showed people carrying sticks and other objects around the road, while Obi’s convoy was seen turning back.
Some of the people appeared to pursue the convoy and throw objects towards the vehicles. Police officers were also seen positioned between the group and the convoy.
Obi later addressed journalists in Makurdi, saying he had travelled to Benue for a humanitarian visit rather than a campaign activity.
The 2027 presidential candidate said that he arrived in Makurdi at about 9am and was heading to Yelwata to console families who lost relatives in the 2025 killings.
He said he was informed that youths had blocked the road and were chanting that he should leave. He condemned the development and called on security agencies to intervene.
The former Anambra governor also appealed to young Nigerians not to allow politicians to use them as instruments of violence.
He said people affected by violence in Benue needed solidarity and support rather than political confrontation.
Obi alleged that the blockade was not spontaneous and claimed that youths had been mobilised by an aide of the Benue State Government.
Speaking further on the state government’s position on Obi’s claims, the government suggested that the confrontation could instead be linked to what it described as internal political challenges within Obi’s NDC structure in Benue, urging the presidential candidate to resolve such issues within his party rather than attribute them to the state government.
“The Alia administration will not be distracted by attempts to manufacture political controversies where none exists,” he said.
Kula urged the public to disregard allegations linking the state government to the incident involving Obi. “Benue remains open to legitimate visitors, political actors and all Nigerians who come in peace,” he said.
Similarly, Benue Commissioner for Information, Solomon Iorpev, separately accused the NDC presidential candidate of ignoring established protocol.
Iorpev said the state government was responsible for ensuring the safety of high-profile visitors and argued that Obi should have formally communicated his visit to the government.
He nevertheless said he did not know who was behind the youths who blocked the convoy.
The commissioner suggested that the blockade could have coincided with a gathering of youths from the state’s 23 local government areas, although he didn’t present any evidence of what the gathering was meant for.
Reacting to the incident, the NDC’s Benue governorship candidate, Terhemba Shija, disputed the government’s account that the visit was unknown to authorities.
Shija said the relevant security agencies were informed about Obi’s visit and that police and Department of State Services personnel provided security for the movement.
He questioned why the state government would need to approve a visit by a presidential candidate, particularly now that political activities for the 2027 election have commenced.
The latest confrontation therefore revives an already contentious relationship between Obi and the Alia administration over his visits to the state.
The incident comes as Nigeria’s political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 elections.
Obi, who finished third in the 2023 presidential poll as the Labour Party candidate, is now the presidential candidate of the NDC.
The party formally unveiled him as its presidential candidate in May 2026.
The 2027 contest is expected to feature a major battle among President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Obi, among others.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.