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Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi has described the hostility he encountered when alleged thugs obstructed his convoy during his recent visit to Benue State as “deeply alarming”.
Obi, in a now deleted statement posted on X after the incident, said he travelled to the state to mourn with families who lost loved ones, not for partisan politics.
The incident came a day after he attended the opening of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde’s Allied Peoples Movement presidential campaign office in Abuja.
The NDC presidential candidate arrived in Benue at about 9 a.m. on Tuesday to sympathise with families affected by the killings in Yelwata.
“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,” Obi said.
He said his convoy was stopped before reaching the community.
“Regrettably, our convoy was prevented from proceeding to the community by thugs chanting, ‘Peter Obi, go back,’” he said.
“It was deeply distressing to witness such hostility.”
Videos circulating online showed a crowd blocking Obi’s convoy near the Air Force Base along the Makurdi-Gboko axis, forcing the NDC presidential candidate and his entourage to turn back.
The identities and sponsors of those involved had not been independently established, and the police had not issued an immediate official response.
Obi insisted that his trip was not connected to electioneering.
“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,” he said.
“That a mission intended purely to show solidarity, compassion, and support could be obstructed in this manner is deeply alarming.”
He recalled that, as governor of Anambra State, he welcomed visiting opposition politicians during election periods, provided their activities remained within the law.
Obi said the obstruction of his convoy raised broader concerns about political intolerance and insecurity, particularly as communities in Benue continue to grapple with deadly attacks.
“At a time when our nation should be united in grief and resolute in preventing further bloodshed, we must reject any action capable of deepening our divisions,” he said.
“The people of Benue – and all Nigerians – deserve to sleep without fear. They deserve to travel without fear. They deserve to cultivate their land without fear.”
He added that protecting lives must take precedence over political interests.
“Above all, they deserve a country where the state places the protection of human life far above political expediency,” Obi said.
Although he could not reach Yelwata, Obi said his planned humanitarian visit had not diminished his solidarity with the victims and their families.
“We shall continue to work until the primary responsibility of government – the safeguarding of every Nigerian life – is restored.”
The incident is the second reported disruption of Obi’s planned visit to Benue, following a dispute in April 2025 over his proposed visit to internally displaced persons’ camps in the state.
