The Benue State Police Command has arrested and paraded 46 suspects in connection with the alleged attack on the convoy of the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, Peter Obi.
The suspects were arrested following Tuesday’s blockade of Obi’s convoy along the Makurdi-Gboko Federal Highway during his visit to Benue State ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Addressing journalists in Makurdi on Wednesday, the Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, said the investigation was ongoing, adding that the police were tracking key youth leaders allegedly linked to the incident.
Nwadiogbu warned that the command would not tolerate political intolerance or acts capable of undermining peace as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general election.
The incident occurred after Obi arrived in Makurdi for his political campaign and a planned visit to Yelewata, where he was scheduled to meet and sympathise with victims of the June 2025 attacks.
However, a few metres from the airport, his convoy encountered a roadblock mounted by youths along the two-lane Makurdi-Gboko Federal Highway.
The blockade shut the highway to motorists and other road users, resulting in significant traffic congestion.
Speaking after the incident, Obi condemned the development and appealed to security agencies to intervene to prevent political violence ahead of the 2027 elections.
The former Anambra State governor said he had intended to visit Yelewata to console families affected by the killings and offer his support to the community.
Obi said he was surprised to encounter youths chanting “Peter Obi, go back” and blocking his convoy.
He appealed to the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies to call state governments to order and ensure that politicians could move freely across the country during the campaign period.
“This is unacceptable,” Obi said, describing the incident as worrying and urging young Nigerians not to allow themselves to be used as instruments by politicians.
Meanwhile, the Minister of the Nigerian Government, Festus Keyamo, condemned the blockade, saying the circumstances surrounding the incident did not justify preventing Obi from accessing his destination.
Keyamo said it would be wrong to interfere with any politician’s movement, regardless of whether the protesters were motivated by internal disagreements within Obi’s party or allegedly sponsored by a rival political party.
He also criticised what he described as partisan reporting of political confrontations, arguing that similar incidents involving candidates of different parties were often described differently depending on the political affiliation of those involved.
Keyamo urged the media to maintain fairness and called on supporters of political parties to express their grievances through the ballot rather than violence.
“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,” he said in a post on X.
Benue Government denies involvement
The Benue State Government has denied allegations that it sponsored thugs to block Obi from accessing Yelewata.
In a statement issued by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, the government described Obi’s allegation as unfounded and denied any involvement in the incident.
The government said the incident could be connected to internal political disagreements within the Nigerian Democratic Congress and accused Obi of attempting to drag Governor Hyacinth Alia and the state government into the matter.
“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, citing what it described as his previous statements about the state.
It maintained that Obi was not a threat to Governor Alia and that, if there had been any genuine security concern, recognised security agencies would have handled it rather than unidentified youths.
The state government further insisted that the Alia administration does not “engage, patronise, or deploy thugs as instruments of governance or security.”
The police investigation continues as the authorities work to establish those responsible for the blockade and determine whether the incident was politically motivated.