The Benue State Government and the team of the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, have given conflicting accounts over whether the state authorities were notified of his visit to Benue on Tuesday.

The disagreement followed the reported blockage of Obi’s convoy by some youths at Gyado Villa along Gboko Road while he was travelling to Yelewata, where he planned to visit families of victims of the June 2025 massacre.

The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Kula Tersoo, said the state government had no prior knowledge of Obi’s visit.

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

He said the government would have expected to be informed of the visit so that appropriate security arrangements could be made.

Tersoo also rejected claims that the youths who stopped Obi were acting on behalf of the state government, saying the administration did not use thugs.

“Our government doesn’t patronize thugs and in any case Obi is not a threat to the governor, we are not aware that Obi is coming to Benue. Am hearing it from you,” he said.

But the NDC governorship candidate in Benue State, Prof. Terhemba Shija, gave a different account, saying Obi’s team had informed security authorities ahead of the visit.

Shija said the team had officially notified the state Commissioner of Police and the Department of State Services about Obi’s planned visit and that personnel from both agencies were deployed to provide security.

“Is Obi not a presidential candidate, INEC has lifted ban on campaign and we duly informed police and DSS about his visit to the state they deployed police and DSS to be with us,” he said.

He said Obi was visiting Yelewata to meet families affected by the deadly attack in June 2025.

Shija questioned why Obi’s movement would require additional permission from the state government, arguing that the lifting of the campaign ban by the Independent National Electoral Commission had opened the way for political activities.

“But government is aware that INEC has lifted ban on campaign, do we need to take permission from candidate?” he asked.

The police account appeared to support the NDC team’s claim that security authorities knew about the visit.

The Benue State Police Command confirmed that it was aware of Obi’s movement and said its operatives provided security for the trip.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the command’s spokesperson, DSP Peter Aondongu, said the circumstances surrounding the blockage were still being investigated.

“We can confirm that the Police are aware of the incident involving Peter Obi’s movement to Yelwata. Police operatives provided security for the movement,” Aondongu said.

He added that the reason some youths blocked the convoy remained unknown.

“The reason the convoy was blocked by some youths is still unknown. We are monitoring the situation and investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident,” he said.

The police did not state whether the state government itself had been notified of the visit.

Obi was reportedly travelling to Yelewata to meet families of victims of the June 2025 massacre when the incident occurred. He was later said to have returned to Abuja.

The conflicting accounts have therefore centred on the distinction between notifying security agencies and informing the state government.

While the governor’s spokesman maintained that the state government was unaware of the visit, Obi’s political team said the police and DSS had been duly informed, a position the police confirmed in its statement.