The Benue State Government has denied allegations by Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, that thugs working on behalf of the state prevented him from visiting Yelewata to console families affected by the 2025 attacks, calling the claims unfounded.
Obi and his supporters were allegedly attacked on Tuesday in Benue State, however, a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Tersoo Kula, said the allegations appeared to be a desperate attempt to draw the governor and the Benue people into what he described as an internal political matter within Obi’s party.
The statement said Governor Alia’s administration had no knowledge of the incident Obi described, adding that given what it called his history of making untrue statements about the state, officials doubted he had even visited Makurdi, the state capital, on the day in question.
The government insisted Obi posed no threat to Alia and said that even if security concerns had arisen during a visit, established security agencies rather than thugs would be responsible for handling them.
It described Alia, a Catholic priest, as committed to the rule of law and averse to using thuggery as a tool of governance or security.
Officials also questioned how someone presenting himself as a presidential candidate could visit the state without formally notifying security authorities, noting that such visits would typically involve coordination with the Commissioner of Police and other agencies.
The statement suggested that if Obi was facing internal disagreements within his party’s structure in Benue, those issues should be resolved internally rather than attributed to the state government.
It said the Alia administration remained focused on governance, security and public welfare, and would not be distracted by what it called manufactured controversies.
The government urged the public to disregard claims linking it to the reported incident, stating that Benue remains open to all political actors and visitors who come in peace.
