By Paul Aondoakaa 

The Benue State Government has denied involvement in an incident involving the convoy of former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate Peter Obi in Benue State on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.

The denial followed reports that Obi’s convoy was stopped by some youths at Gyado Villa along the Gboko Road in Makurdi as he travelled towards Yelewata.

Obi was reportedly visiting the area to meet families affected by the June 2025 massacre in Yelewata.

The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Kula Tersoo, said the state government was not aware that Obi was visiting Benue.

“We are not aware of his coming to the state,” Tersoo said.

He questioned why the former governor and presidential candidate was travelling without adequate coordination with security authorities in the host state.

Tersoo said that if security personnel had been responsible for stopping Obi, the state government would have been in a position to establish what happened.

He also expressed surprise that youths were reportedly able to stop Obi's convoy.

According to him, no youths were acting on behalf of the Benue State Government.

“Youths cannot do anything on behalf of government,” he said, adding that the state government “doesn’t patronise thugs.”

Tersoo further said Obi was not considered a threat to Governor Alia and reiterated that the government had no prior knowledge of his visit.

The reported incident has raised questions about security coordination during visits by prominent political figures, particularly ahead of Nigeria's 2027 general elections.

However, details surrounding the incident, including who the youths were, why the convoy was stopped, whether anyone was injured or whether property was damaged—remain unclear from the information currently available to Benue Info-pedia.

Obi has reportedly returned to Abuja following the incident.