- Obi’s team insists police, DSS were informed ahead of Yelewata condolence visit
The Benue State Government on Tuesday denied knowledge of Peter Obi’s visit to the state, following the blockage of the presidential candidate’s convoy by some youths along Gboko Road, Makurdi.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Kula Tersoo, stated that the administration was not informed about Obi’s arrival and distanced the government from the incident that prevented the Nigeria Democratic Congress candidate from reaching Yelewata.
“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 stated during a telephone interview.
He argued that Obi, as a former governor and presidential candidate, was entitled to security protection and questioned why state authorities were allegedly not aware of his movement.
“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,” he stated.
Tersoo also rejected claims that the youths involved in the blockade acted on behalf of the state government, saying the administration did not support such actions.
“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,” he stated.
Obi was reportedly travelling to Yelewata to visit families of victims of the June 2025 massacre when his convoy was stopped by youths at Gyado Villa along Gboko Road.
The NDC governorship candidate in Benue State, Prof. Terhemba Shija, stated that Obi’s team had formally notified security agencies ahead of the visit.
“Is Obi not 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,” Shija stated.
He questioned why a political candidate visiting victims of violence would be prevented from accessing the affected community after following security procedures.
“But government is aware that INEC has lifted ban on campaign, do we need to take permission from candidate?” Shija asked.
The NDC governorship candidate described the incident as an indication of political tension ahead of the 2027 general elections, arguing that Obi’s visit was purely humanitarian.
“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?” Shija stated.
The Benue State Police Command confirmed that it was aware of Obi’s movement and had provided security support for the visit.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Peter Aondongu, stated that the reason behind the blockade remained unknown but that investigations had commenced.
“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 stated.
“The reason the convoy was blocked by some youths is still unknown. We are monitoring the situation and investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident,” he added.
Earlier reports indicated that Obi was prevented from proceeding after protesters blocked the road near the Nigerian Air Force Base and Makurdi Airport, chanting opposition to his visit.
The NDC presidential candidate had stated that he travelled to Benue to sympathise with victims of killings in the state and accused unnamed actors of using youths to disrupt the visit.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Obi was reported to have returned to Abuja after the incident.
