Suspected thugs on Tuesday allegedly attacked the convoy of the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, and blocked access into Benue State.
The incident was disclosed by Esther Umoh, Obi’s campaign photographer, in a post on X accompanied by videos of the incident.
Umoh said the convoy had just arrived in the state when the suspected thugs blocked Boko Road near the Air Force Base, allegedly in an attempt to prevent Obi from gaining access into the state.
“We have just arrived in Benue State, where alleged sponsored thugs have blocked Boko Road by the Air Force Base, attempting to prevent Peter Obi from gaining access into the state,” she stated.
In one of the videos, Obi’s convoy could be seen turning back as a group of men carrying what appeared to be clubs, stones, sticks and other objects pursued the vehicles.
The men were also seen throwing objects towards the convoy as it attempted to leave the area.
Another video showed a detachment of policemen positioned between the convoy and the group.
However, the suspected thugs appeared to breach the police line and continued pursuing the convoy.
The convoy subsequently turned and left the area.
As of the time of filing this report, the police had not provided details on the incident and could not be reached for comment.
The NDC had also not issued an official statement on the development, while the Benue State Government could not be reached for its reaction.
The incident comes against the backdrop of a previous disagreement between Obi and the Benue State Government over a planned visit to the state in April 2025.
Obi had then expressed concern over what he described as an attempt to stop his planned humanitarian visit to Makurdi.
The visit, scheduled for April 14, 2025, was expected to include courtesy calls, a visit to a nursing school in Gboko and stops at internally displaced persons’ (IDP) camps.
However, the Benue State Government had issued a statement warning against high-profile visits to the state without prior approval, effectively halting the planned visit.
Obi subsequently said he had made repeated efforts to contact Governor Hyacinth Alia through the governor’s Aide-de-Camp but received no confirmation before the state government issued the directive.
“The ADC had assured me that the governor would call me back. That never happened. Then, while on the road Monday morning, I was handed a statement supposedly from the government, effectively stopping my visit,” Obi had said.
He also questioned how details of his itinerary, which he said had only been shared with the governor’s ADC and security agencies, became known to the state government.
“I respect the governor as a Reverend Father, and I would not normally make this public. But this pattern of obstruction is worrying,” Obi stated.
See the video below:
https://x.com/GistsmateMedia/status/2097277523029573712
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