The Benue State Government has dismissed allegations by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, that suspected thugs working for Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration blocked his convoy from accessing Yelwata community.
Obi had alleged that his convoy was stopped by individuals chanting, “Peter Obi, go back,” as he attempted to visit families affected by the deadly 2025 attacks in the community.
But the state government, in a statement issued on Tuesday by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, described the allegation as “unfounded” and a desperate attempt to drag Governor Alia and the Benue Government into what it suggested could be an internal political dispute within the NDC.
The government said it had no knowledge of the alleged incident and questioned whether Obi actually visited Makurdi, the state capital, as claimed.
“We wish to emphatically deny that the government of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has an idea of what Mr. Obi is talking about,” the statement said.
The government also dismissed any suggestion that Obi posed a political or security threat to Governor Alia, arguing that any genuine security concern involving the presidential candidate would be handled by the appropriate security agencies rather than thugs.
It described Alia as a “peace-loving Reverend gentleman” and maintained that his administration neither engages nor deploys thugs as instruments of governance or security.
“His administration does not engage, patronize, or deploy thugs as instruments of governance or security,” the statement added.
According to the government, the Alia administration remains committed to the rule of law and relies on recognised security agencies to maintain peace and order across the state.
It further questioned why Obi allegedly arrived in Benue without formally notifying the relevant security authorities, saying a visit by a presidential candidate would ordinarily require security coordination involving the Commissioner of Police and other agencies.
The government suggested that if Obi had encountered disagreements or internal political challenges within the NDC’s Benue structure, such matters should be resolved within the party rather than attributed to the state government.
It said the Alia administration would not be distracted by what it described as attempts to manufacture political controversies, stressing that its focus remained on governance, security and the welfare of Benue residents.
The government urged members of the public to disregard allegations linking the state to the incident and reiterated that Benue remained open to legitimate visitors, political actors and Nigerians who come to the state in peace.
