Makurdi, Nigeria — The Benue State Police Command says it has arrested 46 people in connection with Tuesday’s blockade of a convoy carrying Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), as he tried to enter Makurdi for a condolence visit to communities hit by last year’s Yelwata massacre.
The Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, disclosed the arrests on Wednesday while briefing journalists in the state capital, saying the command had been alerted to Obi’s visit at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday and had deployed security personnel — including three police escort vehicles led by an assistant commissioner — ahead of his arrival.
Nwadiogbu said the situation “changed” when a group of people blocked the convoy along Gboko Road near the Nigerian Air Force base, Makurdi, creating tension that he said could have escalated into violence. He said police initially held back from using force to avoid possible loss of lives and damage to property, and instead escorted Obi safely to the airport, from where he left the state.
“That decision should not be interpreted as inaction,” the commissioner said, adding that intelligence-led operations were launched immediately to identify those involved. “Key arrests have been made, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend all other persons connected with the incident,” he said, stressing that the command remained “neutral and professional” and that every Nigerian has “the right to freedom of movement irrespective of political affiliation, status or personal belief.” He said suspects would be prosecuted if found culpable, and that undercover officers had been deployed to determine the motive behind the blockade.
Nwadiogbu said he was personally handling a separate security situation involving road blockades around Tarka and Guma local government areas when he was told Obi’s convoy had been obstructed.
Obi’s convoy was stopped on Tuesday along the Gboko-Makurdi highway near the Air Force base as he travelled from Makurdi toward Yelwata, the Guma council-area community where an attack in June 2025 killed dozens of people, mostly displaced villagers sheltering at a Catholic mission. Esther Umoh, Obi’s campaign photographer, said in posts on X that “alleged sponsored thugs” had blocked the road to stop him entering the state, and video footage showed a crowd — some carrying sticks and chanting against his presence — pursuing the convoy as it turned back, with police officers positioned between the group and the vehicles.
Speaking to reporters at the scene, Obi said the trip was not a campaign event but a visit to sympathise with families affected by the killings, and alleged the blockade had been organised on the instruction of a special assistant to the state government. Benue’s police public relations officer had earlier said the command did not yet know why the youths blocked the road.
The Benue State Government rejected any involvement. In a statement, Tersoo Kula, chief press secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, said the administration had no knowledge of Obi’s visit, did not deploy or sponsor thugs, and that recognised security agencies were responsible for law and order in the state. Kula also questioned why the visit had not been formally communicated to security authorities and cast doubt on aspects of Obi’s account.
Amnesty International Nigeria condemned the blockade, with its country director, Isah Sanusi, describing it as “a reckless and unlawful use of political thugs” that amounted to “an unprecedented and dangerous act of political hooliganism” undermining the democratic process. The rights group said heavily armed youths had unlawfully barricaded Gboko Road in what it called a coordinated action that put Obi’s entourage at risk, and argued that “no Nigerian needs anybody’s permission … to visit any part of the country.” It called for accountability and warned against a pattern it said it had observed of state actors restricting opposition figures’ movements ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
Obi’s visit was intended to console communities affected by the June 2025 attack on Yelwata, a farming settlement about seven kilometres from Makurdi that also hosted a camp for people displaced by earlier violence in Benue. Gunmen stormed the village overnight on 13–14 June 2025, killing dozens of people and razing homes; casualty estimates from officials and rights groups have ranged from roughly 100 to over 200 dead, with thousands displaced. Nigeria’s federal government has since charged nine men with terrorism offences over the attack, alleging they planned, funded and carried out the raid. The killings were among the deadliest in a wave of farmer-herder violence that has repeatedly struck Benue, and prompted visits and statements of concern from religious and human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch.
Nwadiogbu warned that security agencies “will not tolerate” actions likely to inflame political tensions as campaigning intensifies ahead of the 2027 elections, and said police would continue to protect lives, property and freedom of movement. The command’s investigation is ongoing, and further details are expected on whether those arrested acted independently or on behalf of any political or other groups.
