The Benue State Government has denied allegations by presidential candidate Peter Obi that thugs allegedly working for Governor Hyacinth Alia blocked his convoy from accessing Yelewata community.
Obi had said his convoy was stopped by youths along the Makurdi-Gboko federal highway on Tuesday while he was travelling to Yelewata to sympathise with families affected by the 2025 attacks in the community.
However, the state government, through the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, described the allegation as unfounded and denied having any involvement in the incident.
The government said it had no prior knowledge of Obi’s visit and suggested that the claim could be an attempt to drag Governor Alia and the state administration into what it described as a possible internal political dispute within the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
It maintained that Obi was not a threat to the governor or the state, adding that any genuine security concern involving a prominent political figure would be handled by recognised security agencies rather than political thugs.
The government also questioned why Obi did not formally notify the state authorities and relevant security agencies about his visit, arguing that such coordination was necessary for the safety of a high-profile political figure.
It further stated that the Alia administration does not engage or deploy thugs as instruments of governance or security and urged the public to disregard claims linking the government to the incident.
The controversy followed Obi’s account that his convoy was prevented from reaching Yelewata, where he intended to meet families affected by the deadly 2025 attacks. He had also called on security agencies to intervene and ensure that political violence did not become part of Nigeria’s 2027 electoral process.
