The Benue State Police Command has paraded 46 suspects allegedly linked to Tuesday’s blockade of the convoy of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, along the Makurdi-Gboko federal highway.
The Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Makurdi on Wednesday, saying investigations into the incident were still underway.
Nwadiogbu said the command was also tracking some key youth leaders believed to have been connected with the incident. He warned that the police would not tolerate political intolerance or activities capable of undermining peace as the 2027 general election approaches.
The development followed the obstruction of Obi’s convoy by youths while he was travelling through Benue State. The NDC candidate had arrived in the state as part of his political activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election and was also scheduled to visit Yelewata to sympathise with families affected by the June 2025 killings.
The confrontation occurred shortly after Obi left the airport, when his convoy encountered a roadblock mounted by youths on the two-lane Makurdi-Gboko federal highway. The blockage disrupted movement along the road and resulted in significant traffic congestion.
Obi subsequently criticised the incident and appealed to young Nigerians not to allow themselves to be used by political interests. He said the situation was disturbing, particularly because he had travelled to Yelewata to show solidarity with victims of the attacks.
“It is ridiculous. Our experience this morning is very very worrisome. We arrived Makurdi at 9 AM, but on our way to the Yelewata community, to console and show solidarity with the family affected by the killings of over 270 persons in that community, and support them in any way I can, only to be blocked by thugs shouting, ‘Peter Obi go back!. Peter Obi go back!’
“And I was wondering: are we still in Nigeria? Because, even the campaign I have started, I should be able to move around freely. But we didn’t want to go on and cause confusion and 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 IG of police, and other agencies, to please intervene and be able to call 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 these people cannot provide us with security?
“We can not go on this way. This is unacceptable”, Obi lamented.
Reacting to the incident, Minister of Aviation and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Festus Keyamo, said the prevention of Obi from reaching the venue of his planned visit should be condemned, irrespective of the circumstances surrounding the protest.
“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.
“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.
“However, there is no better time to draw attention of Nigerians and the world to the spin that the partisan section of the media usually put to such incidents.
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“Many a time when an angry crowd confronts or molests an APC candidate at any level, the partisan Press shamelessly dubs or spins it as ‘rejection’ by ‘Nigerians’. When it concerns the opposition, then it is ‘attack’ by ‘sponsored thugs’ or ‘hoodlums’.
“Just check most headlines today. This is what is unacceptable. In fact, many opposition leaders openly boasts that the APC candidates cannot go to some parts of this country and shout ‘APC!’ without being ‘stoned’, ‘beaten’ or molested, yet the partisan Press do not call out such leaders and even help to accentuate such statements. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander.
“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 stated in a tweet via his official X handle.
Benue Government Denies Involvement
Meanwhile, the Benue State Government has denied allegations that individuals working for the state administration were responsible for blocking Obi’s convoy from reaching Yelewata.
In a statement issued by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, the government described the allegation as unfounded and rejected any suggestion that Governor Hyacinth Alia or his administration was involved.
According to the statement, Obi’s allegation appeared to be an attempt to draw the governor and the state government 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 government also questioned whether Obi visited Makurdi on Tuesday, referring to what it described as his previous record of making inaccurate claims about the state.
It maintained that Obi did not constitute a threat to Governor Alia and argued that, even where a genuine security concern existed, the responsibility for addressing it would rest with recognised security agencies rather than political thugs.
The state government further insisted that Alia remained committed to peace and the rule of law, maintaining that his administration does not “engage, patronize, or deploy thugs as instruments of governance or security.”