The Benue State Commissioner for Information, Solomon Iorpev, has accused Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, of ignoring state protocol by failing to formally notify the government before visiting the state.
Iorpev made the allegation on Tuesday while reacting to the blockage of Obi’s convoy by youths along the Makurdi-Gboko Road.
Obi had arrived in Makurdi to visit Yelewata in Guma Local Government Area, where he planned to sympathise with families affected by the June 2025 killings and offer support to victims.
His convoy was stopped by youths who reportedly chanted “Obi go back”, forcing him to abandon the visit and return to the airport.
Iorpev said Obi, as a former governor and high-profile political figure, should have formally written to the state government before arriving.
“A high-profile person who has been a former governor of a state is coming into the state; he should have written a letter to the State Government,” the commissioner said.
He argued that prior notification was necessary because the state government was expected to guarantee Obi’s security during his visit.
“We are supposed to guarantee his safety and protection, but in an instance where no letter was written, we could not guarantee his safety,” he said.
Iorpev described Obi’s alleged failure to follow the procedure as a recurring issue.
“This is not the first time he is doing this. He is just looking for our trouble. We are peace loving and hospitable people,” the commissioner said.
He, however, denied knowledge of the youths responsible for the blockade.
According to him, Obi’s visit coincided with a meeting involving youths from the state’s 23 local government areas, suggesting that the timing may have contributed to the incident.
“So, if they were coming from either Tarka, Gboko, Buruku, Ushongo, Konshisha or Vandeikya at the same time of his visit and blocked the road, it is unfortunate. I do not know the youths who did that,” he said.
The comments followed allegations by Obi that his convoy had been blocked by thugs allegedly linked to the state government.
Obi described the incident as unacceptable and said he had travelled to Benue to condole with families affected by the killings.
He said he decided not to force his way through the blockade to avoid creating confusion or putting other people at risk.
The Benue State Government has denied involvement in the incident and rejected Obi’s allegation that government-linked youths were responsible for blocking his convoy.
The government said it was not aware of the visit and described the attempt to link Governor Hyacinth Alia to the incident as unfounded.
However, the state Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, said the police command was informed of Obi’s planned visit on Monday night.
Nwadiogbu said security personnel were deployed to accompany Obi to Yelewata but encountered youths who blocked the road.
He said the police tactically managed the situation and were investigating why the youths decided to stop Obi.
Obi eventually returned to the airport and left Benue.
The incident has triggered a fresh dispute between the opposition candidate and the state government, with both sides offering different accounts of what led to the blockade.
While the government maintains that it was not involved, Obi has questioned how youths were able to obstruct his movement during a visit to communities affected by insecurity.
The police investigation is expected to shed more light on the identity of the youths involved and the circumstances surrounding the road blockade.
