Police in Benue State have arrested 46 people over Tuesday’s attack on the convoy of Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi along the Makurdi-Gboko federal highway.
The suspects were paraded in Makurdi following the incident, which occurred as Obi travelled to Yelwata to meet victims of the June 2025 attacks in the community. The Benue State Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, said the investigation was still ongoing.
Nwadiogbu said the police were also tracking some leaders linked to the youths involved in the incident. He warned that the command would not tolerate political intolerance as the 2027 general election approaches.
The incident occurred after Obi’s convoy encountered a roadblock mounted by youths a few metres from the airport on the Makurdi-Gboko federal highway. The blockade brought traffic on the road to a standstill as the youths reportedly prevented the convoy from proceeding towards Yelewata.
Obi had travelled to the state as part of his political activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election and to visit Yelwata, where he planned to commiserate with families affected by the killings in June 2025.
Following the incident, the Obidient Movement accused the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia of being behind the alleged mobilisation of the thugs and described the incident as a “state-backed attempt” to restrict Obi’s movement in the state.
The movement also alleged that the incident was part of a broader pattern of attempts by the Alia administration to frustrate Obi’s activities in Benue.
The Benue State Government, however, denied involvement in the blockade. In a statement issued by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, the government rejected Obi’s allegation that thugs linked to the state government prevented him from reaching Yelwata.
The government said the incident could have resulted from an internal political dispute within the NDC and insisted that Governor Alia’s administration did not engage, sponsor or deploy thugs for governance or security purposes.
