The police in Benue State have paraded 46 suspects arrested in connection with Tuesday’s alleged attack on the convoy of Nigerian Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi along the Makurdi-Gboko federal highway.
The incident occurred during Obi’s visit to Benue as part of his political campaign ahead of the 2027 presidential election and his planned visit to Yelewata to commiserate with victims of the June 2025 attacks.
Addressing journalists in Makurdi, the Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, said investigations were still ongoing, adding that the police were tracking some key leaders of the youths involved. He warned that the command would not tolerate political intolerance as the 2027 general election approaches.
Obi’s convoy reportedly encountered a roadblock mounted by angry youths a few metres from the airport while travelling along the two-lane Makurdi-Gboko federal highway.
The blockade reportedly brought traffic to a standstill, with the road closed to motorists and other users as police officers made efforts to disperse the youths.
Reacting to the incident, Obi appealed to young Nigerians not to allow themselves to be used as instruments by political leaders, particularly amid the economic difficulties facing the country.
“It is ridiculous. Our experience this morning is very very worrisome. We arrived Makurdi at 9 AM, but on our way to the Yelewata community, to console and show solidarity with the family affected by the killings of over 270 persons in that community, and support them in any way I can, only to be blocked by thugs shouting, ‘Peter Obi go back!. Peter Obi go back!’
“And I was wondering: are we still in Nigeria? Because, even the campaign I have started, I should be able to move around freely. But we didn’t want to go on and cause confusion and possibly endanger the lives of other people, so I decided to remain as civil as possible.
“I am using this occasion to appeal to the security agencies, the IG of police, and other agencies, to please intervene and be able to call various state governors to order. I was a state governor myself. This rascality cannot be allowed. We are a country, and can we confront these people on our own if these people cannot provide us with security?
“We can not go on this way. This is unacceptable”, Obi lamented.
Reacting to the incident, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo said Obi’s inability to proceed to his intended destination should be condemned regardless of the political circumstances surrounding the incident.
“Whether the protest was as a result of internal squabbles within the NDC (as posited by the Benue State Government) or sponsored by the APC or any other rival party, this should not be part of our democracy.
“Some have also accused Obi of attempting to whip up fresh emotions by attempting to visit Yelwata where the unfortunate killings happened more than a year ago just for political reasons, hence the blockade.
“That is still not acceptable; everyone should be allowed to move about freely and play their politics without such crude interference.
“However, there is no better time to draw attention of Nigerians and the world to the spin that the partisan section of the media usually put to such incidents.
“Many a time when an angry crowd confronts or molests an APC candidate at any level, the partisan Press shamelessly dubs or spins it as ‘rejection’ by ‘Nigerians’. When it concerns the opposition, then it is ‘attack’ by ‘sponsored thugs’ or ‘hoodlums’.
“Just check most headlines today. This is what is unacceptable. In fact, many opposition leaders openly boasts that the APC candidates cannot go to some parts of this country and shout ‘APC!’ without being ‘stoned’, ‘beaten’ or molested, yet the partisan Press do not call out such leaders and even help to accentuate such statements. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander.
“The Press must extricate itself from such partisanship and be fair to all. Whoever is angry at any candidate of any political party should display the anger with the ballot paper on voting day by a simple thumbprint, not by violent acts during campaigns”, Keyamo stated in a tweet via his official X handle.
Benue Government Denies Involvement
The Benue State Government has denied allegations by Obi that thugs linked to the state administration prevented him from reaching Yelewata.
In a statement issued by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, the government described the allegation as unfounded and denied any involvement in the incident.
According to the government, the allegation appeared to be an attempt to associate Governor Hyacinth Alia and his administration with what could be an internal political dispute within the NDC.
“We wish to emphatically deny that the government of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has an idea of what Mr. Obi is talking about,” Kula said.
The government also questioned whether Obi actually visited Makurdi on Tuesday, referring to what it described as his previous record of making inaccurate claims about the state.
It maintained that Obi did not constitute a threat to Governor Alia and argued that, even if there had been a genuine security concern, recognised security agencies, rather than political thugs, would have been responsible for addressing it.
The state government said Alia remained committed to peace and the rule of law, insisting that his administration does not “engage, patronize, or deploy thugs as instruments of governance or security.”
