Governor Hyacinth Alia has dismissed as unfounded allegations by Mr Peter Obi that thugs working for the Benue State Government blocked him from accessing victims of the 2025 attack on Yelwata.
The chief press secretary to the governor, Mr Tersoo Kula, made the government’s position known in a statement in Makurdi.
Obi, who is the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), was in the state to commiserate with the Yelwata victims.
Kula described Obi’s allegation as a desperate attempt to drag the governor and the Benue Government into what could be an internal political matter within the NDC.
He said the state government had no knowledge of the alleged incident and questioned whether Obi actually visited Makurdi, citing what he described as his antecedents of making untrue claims against the state.
The CPS said Obi was not a threat to Alia, adding that even if he were, security agencies were responsible for handling security concerns, rather than thugs.
According to him, Alia is a peace-loving clergyman who is opposed to thuggery and whose administration does not engage, patronise or deploy thugs as instruments of governance or security.
He said the administration remained committed to the rule of law and relied on recognised security agencies to maintain peace and order across the state.
Kula also questioned the failure to formally inform relevant security authorities about Obi’s movement, saying such a visit ordinarily required coordination with the Commissioner of Police and other security agencies.
He urged Obi to resolve any disagreement or internal political challenge within the NDC rather than attributing such issues to the state government.
“The Alia administration will not be distracted by attempts to manufacture political controversies where none exists,” Kula said.
He said the government’s attention remained focused on good governance, strengthening security and improving the welfare of Benue residents.
Kula urged the public to disregard allegations linking the state government to any incident involving Obi.
“Benue remains open to legitimate visitors, political actors and all Nigerians who come in peace,” he said.
