Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, and the Benue State Government have traded accusations after youths blocked his convoy and prevented him from travelling to Yelwata, where he planned to meet families of victims of the 2025 massacre.
The incident occurred on Tuesday along Gboko Road, near the Nigerian Air Force Base and Makurdi Airport. The youths reportedly barricaded the road and chanted, “We don’t want Peter Obi,” forcing the former Anambra State governor to turn back and eventually leave for Plateau State.
Mr Obi said he travelled to Benue for what he described as a humanitarian visit to sympathise with families affected by the June 2025 Yelwata attack, in which more than 200 people were reportedly killed.
He alleged that suspected hired thugs, allegedly led by a Special Assistant to the state government, were mobilised to stop him from reaching the community.
“I was told that youths, led by an SA to the government, have decided to block the road and make sure I don’t go there,” Mr Obi said.
He described the development as unacceptable and argued that residents suffering from poverty and insecurity should not be used for political purposes.
“The rascality they are bringing into this country is totally unacceptable. People are being killed every day in Benue,” he said.
Alia government denies involvement
The Benue State Government rejected the allegation, insisting that it neither organised nor sponsored the youths who blocked Mr Obi’s convoy.
The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Solomon Iorpev, said Mr Obi failed to formally notify the state government of his visit, despite being a former governor and presidential candidate.
“A high-profile person who has been a former governor of a state is coming into the state; he should have written a letter to the State Government,” Mr Iorpev said.
He said the government was responsible for guaranteeing the safety of high-profile visitors and argued that it could not properly do so without prior notification.
Mr Iorpev, however, said he did not know who the youths were and suggested their gathering may have coincided with a meeting involving youths from the state’s 23 local government areas.
Governor’s aide rejects allegation
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Kula Tersoo, also denied any connection between the governor and the incident.
Mr Tersoo described Mr Obi’s allegation as unfounded and said the governor had no reason to prevent him from visiting the state.
He stressed that if Mr Obi had posed any genuine security concern, recognised security agencies, not political thugs, would have been responsible for dealing with it.
“Mr. Peter Obi is not a threat to Governor Alia in any way. Even if he actually visited the state, and we realized that he is a threat to anyone, the security agencies are there to handle the issue, not thugs,” Mr Tersoo said.
Police confirmed Obi’s visit
The police account, however, introduced another dimension to the controversy.
Benue State Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, confirmed that the police were aware of Mr Obi’s visit and had deployed officers to provide security for his movement.
“I also asked the AC Operations to personally lead the men, but unfortunately, on his arrival, we heard that the youth blocked the road because they didn’t want to see him,” Mr Nwadiogbu said.
He said the police were investigating why the youths stopped the convoy and promised to establish what happened.
The police spokesperson, Peter Aondongu, also confirmed that officers provided security for the movement, while saying the reason for the blockade remained unknown.
NDC calls incident political
The NDC governorship candidate in Benue, Prof. Terhemba Shija, said the party had informed the police and Department of State Services about Mr Obi’s visit.
He insisted that the trip was not a campaign rally but a humanitarian engagement with families affected by the Yelwata killings.
“Is Obi not a presidential candidate? INEC has lifted the ban on campaign and we duly informed the police and DSS about his visit to the state,” Mr Shija said.
He described the blockade as “a demonstration of fear” and argued that Mr Obi should have been allowed to visit the bereaved families.
Obi heads to Plateau
After leaving Benue, Mr Obi travelled to Plateau State, where he visited displaced residents affected by insecurity.
Speaking at an internally displaced persons camp in Mangu Local Government Area, he criticised the continued displacement of Nigerians from their ancestral communities.
“As long as you are in an IDP camp, Nigeria is in an IDP camp. It is when you go home that Nigeria is at home,” Mr Obi told the displaced residents.
He called for decisive government action against killings, kidnappings and displacement, stressing that prayer alone could not resolve the security crisis.
“I hear people say we need prayers. Yes, we need prayers. But government must act,” he said.
Humanitarian visit becomes political dispute
The controversy comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 general election, with opposition parties increasingly stepping up consultations and grassroots mobilisation.
While Mr Obi maintained that his Benue visit was humanitarian, the incident has quickly taken on political dimensions, with his party accusing the state government of intimidation and the government accusing him of disregarding established protocol.
For residents, however, the immediate concern remains the security situation that prompted the visit in the first place, the continuing killings, displacement and fear affecting communities across Benue.
The confrontation highlights a bigger concern about political freedom, security and access to communities during an increasingly heated pre-election period.
If political disagreements begin to prevent politicians from conducting lawful humanitarian or civic activities, it could deepen public mistrust. At the same time, authorities have a legitimate responsibility to coordinate security for high-profile visitors.
The police investigation into who organised the blockade and why it happened will therefore be important in determining whether the incident was a spontaneous protest, a political mobilisation or something more organised.
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