Benue Govt Denies Sending Thugs to Block Peter Obi

In a statement Tuesday, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, described the allegation as unfounded and an attempt to drag Alia and the state government into what he called a possible internal political matter within the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

“We wish to emphatically deny that the government of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has any idea of what Mr. Obi is talking about,” Kula said.

The government said Alia was not involved in the incident and insisted that his administration does not engage, patronise or deploy thugs as instruments of governance or security.

It added that if Obi posed any security concern, recognised security agencies, rather than political thugs, would be responsible for handling the situation.

The government also questioned why Obi travelled to Benue without, according to it, formally informing the relevant authorities, saying a visit by a presidential candidate would ordinarily require coordination with the police and other security agencies.

However, Obi’s team disputed that account, saying security authorities had been notified of the visit.

The Benue State Police Command also confirmed that it was aware of Obi’s movement and provided security for his convoy, but said the reason some youths blocked the road remained unclear and was under investigation.

Obi had said his convoy was stopped by youths chanting “Peter Obi, go back” while he was travelling to Yelewata to sympathise with families affected by the 2025 massacre.

The former Anambra governor described the visit as humanitarian and said he did not want to force his way through the blockade because that could endanger others.

The Benue government urged the public to disregard allegations linking the Alia administration to the incident, saying the state remained open to legitimate visitors and political actors who came in peace.

The development has left conflicting accounts over who organised the blockade and whether the state government was formally notified of Obi’s visit, with police investigations ongoing.