The Benue State Government has denied having prior knowledge of Peter Obi’s visit to the state after the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) was reportedly prevented from proceeding to Yelewata by some youths.
Obi was said to be on his way to Yelewata on Tuesday to visit families of victims of the June 2025 massacre when his convoy was stopped at Gyado Villa along the Gboko Road.
The development prompted questions about whether the state government was aware of the visit and why security arrangements around the former governor and presidential candidate appeared insufficient.
Speaking in a telephone interview, the Chief Press Secretary to Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia, Kula Tersoo, said the state government had no knowledge of Obi’s arrival.
“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.
“As presidential candidate of a party and former governor he is a property of 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.”
Tersoo also expressed surprise that youths were able to stop Obi’s convoy, insisting that the government had no connection with those involved.
“We were surprised that youth would stop someone, youth can not do anything on behalf of government. Our government doesn’t patronize thugs and in any case Obi is not a threat to the governor, we are not aware that Obi is coming to Benue. Am hearing it from you,” he said.
However, the NDC governorship candidate in Benue State, Prof. Terhemba Shija, gave a different account of the development.
Shija said Obi was in the state specifically to meet with families affected by the Yelewata killings and maintained that relevant security agencies had been duly informed of the visit.
According to him, the team officially notified the police and the Department of State Services of Obi’s movement, after which security personnel were deployed to accompany them.
He said, “Is Obi a presidential candidate, INEC has lifted ban on campaign and we duly informed police and DSS about his visit to the state they deployed police and DSS to be with us.
Responding to the question of whether the state government itself had been informed, Shija argued that the lifting of the campaign restriction by the Independent National Electoral Commission meant that Obi was entitled to undertake political activities.
“But government is aware that INEC has lifted ban on campaign, do we need to take permission from candidate?” Professor Shija asked.
The NDC candidate further described the blockade as politically significant, calling it “a demonstration of fear, a clear show that Obi is the man to watch”.
He added, “he has come just to see families of victims of Yelewata why should somebody stopped a legitimate candidate after he has officially given notice to CP and DSS?”
Meanwhile, the Benue State Police Command confirmed that it was aware of Obi’s visit and that its personnel provided security for the movement.
In a brief statement, the command’s spokesperson, DSP Peter Aondongu, said the circumstances surrounding the blockade 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.
“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,” the PPRO said.
Obi was subsequently reported to have returned to Abuja after the incident.
