The Benue State Police Command on Wednesday paraded 46 suspects in connection with Tuesday’s blockade of Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi’s convoy on the Makurdi–Gboko federal highway, Commissioner of Police Cletus Nwadiogbu said.
Addressing journalists in Makurdi, Nwadiogbu stated that investigation was continuing and that key youth leaders were still being trailed. He warned that the command would not tolerate political intolerance as the 2027 elections approach.
Obi had arrived in Makurdi at about 9 a.m. on Tuesday, intending to visit Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area to condole with families of the June 2025 attacks, which he said killed more than 270 people. A few metres from the airport his convoy met a full roadblock.
Angry youths shut the dual carriageway to all traffic. Obi later turned back rather than force a passage that he said could endanger lives.
He described the episode as “ridiculous” and “very, very worrisome,” saying youths shouting “Peter Obi go back” had stopped a visit meant to show solidarity.
He appealed to the Inspector-General of Police and other agencies to call state governors to order.
“This rascality cannot be allowed,” he said, adding that young people should not be used as tools by a ruling class that had created the hardship they endure.
Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo condemned the blockade.
Whether it sprang from internal NDC squabbles, as the Benue government suggested, or from rival sponsorship, he said, such conduct had no place in a democracy.
“Accusations that Obi sought to reopen wounds at Yelwata for political gain did not justify stopping him. Everyone should campaign freely,” Keyamo said.
Keyamo also criticised what he called partisan media spin: crowds confronting APC candidates are often framed as “rejection by Nigerians,” while similar scenes involving the opposition are labelled attacks by “sponsored thugs.” Anger, he said, should be expressed at the ballot box, not on the highway.
The Benue State Government rejected Obi’s claim that government-backed thugs blocked him.
Chief Press Secretary Tersoo Kula said Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration had no knowledge of the incident and described the allegation as an attempt to drag the governor into a possible internal NDC dispute.
The government said it does not deploy thugs and that recognised security agencies, not street gangs, handle genuine security concerns.
Police say the 46 suspects are in custody while the hunt for organisers continues.
