The Benue State Government has rejected claims by former presidential candidate Peter Obi that thugs allegedly working for the administration blocked him from reaching victims of the 2025 Yelwata massacre, even as the state Police Command confirmed that youths did halt his convoy in Makurdi.
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, was in Benue to commiserate with survivors of the June 13, 2025, attack that killed more than 200 people and displaced scores of residents in Guma Local Government.
In a statement issued Tuesday in Makurdi, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Tersoo Kula, dismissed Obi’s allegation as “unfounded” and a “desperate attempt” to drag the governor into what he described as an internal NDC political dispute.
Kula insisted the state government had no knowledge of the incident and even questioned whether Obi actually visited Makurdi, citing what he called the former Anambra governor’s “antecedents of making untrue claims” against the state.
“Alia is a peace-loving clergyman who is opposed to thuggery,” Kula said, adding that the administration “does not engage, patronise or deploy thugs as instruments of governance or security.”
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He further argued that Obi was “not a threat” to the governor, and that legitimate security concerns are handled by recognised agencies — not thugs. Kula also faulted Obi’s team for allegedly failing to formally notify the Commissioner of Police and other security agencies ahead of the visit.
“The Alia administration will not be distracted by attempts to manufacture political controversies where none exists,” he said, urging the public to disregard any link between the government and the incident. “Benue remains open to legitimate visitors, political actors and all Nigerians who come in peace”, he said.
Police Confirm the Blockade
The Benue Police Command has confirmed that Obi’s convoy was indeed blocked.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Cletus Nwadiogbu, said on Tuesday that officers had been deployed to escort Obi to Yelwata, with the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations personally leading the team.
“Everybody has freedom of movement in Nigeria, so I provided security,” Nwadiogbu said. “Unfortunately, upon his arrival, we heard that the youths blocked the road and said they did not want to see him.”
The commissioner said the police had been briefed that Obi’s trip was strictly a condolence visit, not a political campaign. He confirmed that after being prevented from proceeding, Obi left the state.
Nwadiogbu said an investigation is now underway to determine who mobilised the youths, why the convoy was stopped, and whether property was destroyed during the incident.
“We must get to the bottom of it and know why the youths said somebody cannot move freely,” he said, pledging to make the findings public.
Backdrop
The June 13, 2025, Yelwata attack ranks among the deadliest assaults on Benue communities in recent years, claiming more than 200 lives and triggering nationwide condemnation and fresh calls for a security overhaul in the state.
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