The Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress in the 2027 election, Photo: X | Peter Obi.
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has accused “hired thugs” of obstructing his visit to Yelwata, Benue State, where he had planned to meet families of victims of the June 2025 massacre.
Obi, in a statement posted on his X handle on Tuesday, said he arrived in Benue at about 9am for what he described as a purely humanitarian mission but was prevented from proceeding to the community.
He said the incident occurred a day after he attended the opening of the national campaign office of another opposition presidential candidate, Governor Seyi Makinde, in Abuja, as part of his commitment to political civility.
“As Governor of Anambra State, I made it a point during electioneering to welcome visiting opposition members personally, provided they acted within the ambit of the law,” he said in the statement titled “How Hired Thugs Obstructed My Visit to Benue State”.
“Guided by that same commitment to decency over partisanship, 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.
“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.
“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,” Obi added.
He described the incident as alarming, saying the people of Benue and other Nigerians deserved to live, travel and cultivate their land without fear.
Obi said the government’s primary responsibility should be the protection of human life above political considerations.
“Although we were unable to reach the community today, our thoughts and prayers remain steadfastly with the victims, their families, and the entire Yelwata community. We shall continue to work until the primary responsibility of government – the safeguarding of every Nigerian life – is restored. Until then, we cannot truly say we have built the nation our people deserve,” Obi said.
The former Anambra State governor’s visit had earlier drawn a denial from the Benue State Government, which said it was unaware of his arrival in the state.
The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Kula Tersoo, said the government was not aware of Obi’s visit and argued that security agencies in the host state should have been informed.
“We are not aware of his coming to the state, and if it were to be security agents that stopped him, it would have been easy for us to find out what happened.
“As presidential candidate of a party and former governor he is a property of federal government and ought to have been given security, where are those security agents around him and if he is going to any state, the security of the host state should know so as to provide security for him.”
However, the governorship candidate of the NDC in Benue State, Prof. Terhemba Shija, said security agencies had been informed of Obi’s visit and had deployed personnel to accompany him.
The state police command also confirmed that it was aware of Obi’s movement to Yelwata and that police operatives provided security for the movement.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Peter Aondongu, however, said the reason the convoy was blocked remained unknown.
“We can confirm that the Police are aware of the incident involving Peter Obi’s movement to Yelwata. Police operatives provided security for the movement.
“The reason the convoy was blocked by some youths is still unknown. We are monitoring the situation and investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“Further updates will be provided accordingly,” the PPRO said.
The Punch
