Peter Obi Arrives in Jos After Convoy Was Blocked in Benue

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has arrived in Jos, Plateau State capital, after his convoy was reportedly blocked by youths while he was visiting Benue State.

 

Obi said he was on his way to Yelewata to visit families of victims of the June 2025 massacre when the incident occurred at Gyado Villa along Gboko Road in Makurdi.

 

The former Anambra State governor alleged that the youths were political thugs who prevented his convoy from accessing parts of the state capital.

 

Obi appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services and other security agencies to intervene and ensure the protection of opposition politicians.

 

He said the development was unacceptable, stressing the need for unity, justice and issue-based political campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections.

 

“We cannot go on this way, it’s not acceptable. This was why when I participated in the presidential campaign office launch of APM yesterday, I said we need unity, love, justice, and let this campaign be concentrated on ideas and issues that concern Nigerians today like insecurity, hunger, killings, and how we are going to pull our people out of poverty,” Obi said.

 

The incident has generated reactions, with human rights activist Omoyele Sowore condemning the alleged attack and warning that the perpetrators were “toying with fire.”

 

Obi’s reported running mate, Rabi’u Kwankwaso, also called on the international community to provide protection for opposition leaders.

 

However, the Benue State Commissioner for Information, Solomon Iorpev, criticised Obi for visiting the state without formally notifying the government.

 

Iorpev said the state government had a responsibility to provide adequate security for high-profile visitors but could not effectively do so without prior information.

 

“A high-profile person who has been a former governor of a state is coming into the state; he should have written a letter to the State Government. We are supposed to guarantee his safety and protection, but in an instance where no letter was written, we could not guarantee his safety,” he said.

 

The commissioner said he was unaware of the identities of the youths who blocked Obi’s convoy or who organised the incident.

 

He, however, noted that the incident coincided with a meeting involving youths from the state’s 23 local government areas, suggesting that the convergence may have contributed to the road blockage.

 

Meanwhile, Governor Hyacinth Alia has denied allegations that his administration sponsored thugs to block Obi’s convoy.

 

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, the governor said Obi was not a political threat to him ahead of the 2027 election and dismissed the allegation as unfounded.

 

“Let it be known that Mr. Peter Obi is not a threat to Governor Alia in any way. Even if he actually visited the state, and we realised that he is a threat to anyone, the security agencies are there to handle the issue, not thugs,” Kula said.

 

He accused Obi of attempting to drag Governor Alia and the people of Benue into what he described as a possible internal political matter within the NDC.