How ‘hired thugs’ obstructed my visit to Benue – Peter Obi

Peter Obi said chanting “Peter Obi, go back,” a group he described as “hired thugs” stopped him from reaching Yelwata in Benue State, where he intended to meet families grieving after the June 2025 massacre.

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Guided by that same commitment to decency over partisanship, I travelled to Benue this morning, arriving at approximately 9:00 a.m. on a purely humanitarian mission: to visit the grieving families affected by the horrific killings in Yelwata, where over 270 people were massacred.

Obi said he arrived in Benue at about 9 a.m. on Tuesday for what he called a purely humanitarian mission. He said he wanted to mourn with the victims’ families, listen to them and offer comfort, but his convoy could not proceed to the community.

The former Anambra governor linked the visit to his stated commitment to political civility. He said the incident came a day after he attended the opening of the national campaign office of another opposition presidential candidate, Governor Seyi Makinde, in Abuja. Obi recalled that, while governor, he welcomed visiting opposition members when they acted within the law.

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Regrettably, our convoy was prevented from proceeding to the community by thugs chanting, ‘Peter Obi, go back.’ It was deeply distressing to witness such hostility.

Obi said the obstruction was alarming and argued that Benue residents and other Nigerians should be able to live, travel and farm without fear. He also said government’s primary duty was to protect human life above political considerations. Although he did not reach Yelwata, he said his thoughts and prayers remained with the victims, their families and the wider community.

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I came to Benue not for partisan politics, but to mourn with our people, to listen to families who have lost loved ones, and to offer comfort at a moment of unimaginable sorrow.

The Benue State Government said it was unaware of Obi’s arrival. Governor’s Chief Press Secretary Kula Tersoo said the host state’s security agencies should have been informed. He questioned why Obi’s security personnel had not established what happened if security agents were responsible for stopping him.

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We are not aware of his coming to the state, and if it were to be security agents that stopped him, it would have been easy for us to find out what happened.