The Benue State Government has denied prior knowledge of the visit of the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the state, following the reported blockage of his convoy by some youths.
Obi was said to have been travelling to Yelewata on Tuesday to meet families affected by the June 2025 massacre when his convoy was stopped by youths at Gyado Villa along the Gboko Road.
The state government’s Chief Press Secretary, Kula Tersoo, said the administration was unaware of the former Anambra State governor’s visit.
“We are not aware of his coming to the state, and if it were to be security agents that stopped him, it would have been easy for us to find out what happened,” Tersoo said in a telephone interview.
He questioned why Obi’s security detail and the relevant security agencies were not able to prevent the incident.
“As presidential candidate of a party and former governor, he is a property of the Federal Government and ought to have been given security. Where are those security agents around him? And if he is going to any state, the security of the host state should know so as to provide security for him,” he added.
Tersoo also dismissed suggestions that the youths who blocked Obi’s convoy were acting on behalf of the state government.
“We were surprised that youths would stop someone. Youth cannot do anything on behalf of government. Our government doesn’t patronise thugs, and in any case, Obi is not a threat to the governor,” he said.
He added that he only learnt about Obi’s visit from journalists.
However, the NDC governorship candidate in Benue State, Prof. Terhemba Shija, said the appropriate security authorities had been notified ahead of the visit.
Shija said Obi’s team informed the police and the Department of State Services about the planned trip, adding that security personnel were deployed to accompany the delegation.
“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. They deployed police and DSS to be with us,” Shija said.
He argued that there was no need for the campaign team to obtain permission from the state government before visiting.
“But government is aware that INEC has lifted the ban on campaign. Do we need to take permission from government?” he asked.
Shija described the blockade as “a demonstration of fear” and “a clear show that Obi is the man to watch.”
He said the visit was solely intended to enable Obi sympathise with the families of victims of the Yelewata attack.
“He has come just to see families of victims of Yelewata. Why should somebody stop a legitimate candidate after he has officially given notice to CP and DSS?” he queried.
Meanwhile, the Benue State Police Command confirmed that it was aware of Obi’s movement and had provided security for the delegation.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Peter Aondongu, said the circumstances surrounding the blockage were still being investigated.
“We can confirm that the police are aware of the incident involving Peter Obi’s movement to Yelwata. Police operatives provided security for the movement,” Aondongu said.
He added, “The reason the convoy was blocked by some youths is still unknown. We are monitoring the situation and investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. Further updates will be provided accordingly.”
Obi was later reported to have returned to Abuja after the incident.
