The police have arrested and paraded 46 suspects in connection with the reported attack and blockade of Peter Obi’s convoy in Benue State.

The suspects were arrested after angry youths blocked the convoy of the Nigerian Democratic Congress presidential candidate along the Makurdi-Gboko federal highway on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.

According to Channels Television, the incident occurred as Obi travelled to Yelewata community to visit and sympathise with victims of the June 2025 attacks.

Addressing journalists in Makurdi, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, said investigations were ongoing, adding that some key leaders linked to the youths were still being trailed.

He warned that the police would not tolerate political intolerance as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections.

The blockade reportedly occurred a few metres from the airport, where the youths shut down the two-lane highway, causing significant traffic congestion.

Obi condemned the incident, saying he had been prevented from reaching Yelewata despite travelling there to console families affected by the killings.

He appealed to security agencies and state governors to ensure political candidates could move freely during the campaign period.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, condemned the prevention of Obi from accessing the venue, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the protest.

Keyamo said whether the incident resulted from internal disputes within the NDC, as alleged by the Benue State Government, or was sponsored by a rival political party, such actions should not be tolerated in a democracy.

He also criticised what he described as partisan media coverage of confrontations involving political candidates, urging the media to apply the same standards to both ruling and opposition parties.

Keyamo said political disagreements should be expressed through the ballot box rather than violence or intimidation during campaigns.

Benue Government Denies Involvement

The Benue State Government denied allegations that thugs linked to Governor Hyacinth Alia were responsible for blocking Obi’s convoy.

In a statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, the government described Obi’s allegation as unfounded and suggested that the incident could have resulted from an internal political dispute within the NDC.

The state government insisted that Alia’s administration does not engage, patronise or deploy thugs as instruments of governance or security.

It added that if Obi posed any security concern, recognised security agencies, rather than political thugs, would be responsible for addressing it.

The police investigation remains ongoing.