The Benue State Government has denied allegations by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, that he was prevented by thugs allegedly working for the state government from accessing Yelewata to sympathise with families affected by the 2025 attacks.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Tersoo Kula, the state government described Obi’s allegation as “unfounded” and an attempt to drag the governor and the people of Benue into what it suggested could be an internal political dispute within the NDC.
The government said it had no knowledge of the incident alleged by Obi, adding that it questioned whether the former Anambra State governor was even in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, as claimed.
“We wish to emphatically deny that the government of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has an idea of what Mr. Obi is talking about,” the statement said.
According to the government, Obi’s alleged visit to the state should ordinarily have involved prior coordination with relevant security authorities, including the Commissioner of Police and other security agencies.
It maintained that Governor Alia does not use thugs as instruments of governance or security, stressing that the administration relies on recognised security agencies to maintain peace and order across the state.
The government further argued that if Obi’s presence in the state had posed any security concern, the appropriate security agencies, rather than political thugs, would have been responsible for addressing it.
“Governor Alia is a peace-loving Reverend gentleman. He is averse to the promotion of thuggery. In fact, his administration does not engage, patronize, or deploy thugs as instruments of governance or security,” Kula said.
The statement also suggested that any disagreement Obi may have encountered could be connected to internal political challenges within the NDC’s Benue structure and should be addressed through the party rather than attributed to the state government.
The Alia administration, it added, would not be distracted by what it described as attempts to manufacture political controversies.
It said its focus remained on governance, strengthening security and improving the welfare of Benue residents.
The state government consequently urged the public to disregard allegations linking it to any incident involving Obi.
“Benue remains open to legitimate visitors, political actors and all Nigerians who come in peace,” the statement added.
