The police have paraded 46 suspects in connection with Tuesday’s alleged attack on the convoy of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), along the Makurdi-Gboko federal highway in Benue State.
Addressing journalists in Makurdi, the state Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, said investigations were ongoing and that the police were tracking key leaders of the youths involved in the incident.
Nwadiogbu warned that the Benue State Police Command would not tolerate acts of political intolerance as the 2027 general election approaches.
The development followed a confrontation between Obi’s convoy and a group of youths during his visit to Benue State as part of his campaign activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Obi had also planned to visit Yelewata to meet and commiserate with victims of the June 2025 attacks.
Trouble reportedly began a few metres from the airport when Obi’s convoy encountered a roadblock mounted by youths on the two-lane Makurdi-Gboko federal highway.
The blockade caused significant traffic congestion, with the road reportedly closed to other users as the youths occupied the highway. Police officers at the scene were said to have made little effort initially to disperse the crowd.
Reacting to the incident, Obi called on young Nigerians not to allow themselves to be used as political tools by those he accused of creating the economic hardship confronting citizens.
“It is ridiculous. Our experience this morning is very, very worrisome. We arrived in Makurdi at 9am, but on our way to the Yelewata community to console and show solidarity with the families affected by the killings of more than 270 people in that community, and to support them in any way I can, we were blocked by thugs shouting, ‘Peter Obi, go back! Peter Obi, go back!’
“And I was wondering: are we still in Nigeria? Because even with the campaign I have started, I should be able to move around freely. But we didn’t want to go on and cause confusion or 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 Inspector-General of Police and other agencies to intervene and call the 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 those responsible cannot provide us with security? We cannot go on this way. This is unacceptable,” Obi said.
Keyamo condemns blockade
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo also condemned the incident, saying Obi’s inability to proceed to his planned destination should not be tolerated.
In a post on his official X account, Keyamo said it was unacceptable regardless of who was responsible for 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,” he wrote.
Keyamo also rejected suggestions that Obi’s planned visit to Yelewata was inappropriate because the killings occurred more than a year ago.
“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,” he said.
However, Keyamo criticised what he described as partisan reporting of political confrontations, accusing sections of the media of portraying similar incidents differently depending on the political party involved.
He argued that while confrontations involving APC candidates are sometimes described as evidence of “rejection” by Nigerians, similar incidents involving opposition candidates are often characterised as attacks by “sponsored thugs” or “hoodlums”.
“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 said.
Benue government denies involvement
The Benue State Government has denied allegations that thugs linked to the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia blocked Obi from accessing Yelewata.
In a statement issued by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, the state government described Obi’s allegation as unfounded and denied any involvement in the incident.
The government said the allegation was an attempt to drag Governor Alia and the state administration into what it described as a possible 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 statement also questioned whether Obi visited Makurdi on Tuesday, citing what it described as his previous record of making untrue statements about the state.
The government said Obi was not a threat to Governor Alia, adding that even if there were concerns about his presence, recognised security agencies, rather than political thugs, would be responsible for addressing them.
It maintained that Governor 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.”
