The Benue State Government has denied allegations by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, that thugs allegedly hired by Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration blocked his convoy from accessing Yelwata on Tuesday, September 8.
The state government described the claims as unfounded, alleging it was an attempt to drag the governor and the state into an internal crisis within the NDC.
According to a Paparazzi online report, the former Anambra State governor narrated his experience in the state, saying he arrived on a humanitarian mission to sympathise with families affected by the killings in Yelwata, where over 270 people were reportedly massacred.
“I travelled to Benue this morning, arriving at approximately 9:00 a.m. on a purely humanitarian mission: to visit the grieving families affected by the horrific killings in Yelwata, where over 270 people were massacred,” Obi said.
He said his convoy was prevented from proceeding to the community by thugs who chanted against his visit, describing the incident as distressing. “Regrettably, our convoy was prevented from proceeding to the community by thugs chanting, ‘Peter Obi, go back.’ It was deeply distressing to witness such hostility,” he said.
Obi maintained that his visit was not driven by partisan interests but by a desire to show solidarity with victims of the attack. “I came to Benue not for partisan politics, but to mourn with our people, to listen to families who have lost loved ones, and to offer comfort at a moment of unimaginable sorrow. That a mission intended purely to show solidarity, compassion, and support could be obstructed in this manner is deeply alarming,” he said.
He disclosed that his convoy was stopped by the thugs near the Nigerian Air Force Base along the Gboko-Makurdi Road while travelling from Makurdi to Yelwata.
