•Peter Obi, CP Nwadiogbu and Governor Alia
The Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Cletus Nwadiogbu, has said the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) never asked him to transmit a letter notifying him of Peter Obi’s visit to the state to Governor Hyacinth Alia.
Nwadiogbu said the letter was presented to him by members of the NDC who visited his office to inform the police command about Obi’s planned arrival in the state, adding that the information was primarily for security arrangements.
The commissioner spoke on Channels Television this afternoon while explaining the events leading up to the disruption of Obi’s movement in Benue State on Tuesday.
According to him, members of the NDC initially informed his Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) that they intended to visit him, but arrived at about 5:30 pm, after waiting several hours.
“On that very day, my PRO came to me and said members of NDC said they are paying me a visit. I said, well, I am currently in the office, and the PRO said they are coming by 3 pm. I said ‘Okay.’
“We waited from 3 pm to 4 to 4:30. Eventually, they arrived around 5:30, when we were about to leave the office. They visited me; by the end of the discussion, they presented me with a letter and told me the main issue that brought them: that the presidential candidate is going to be in town by 8 am the next day.
“I said, ah, we don’t have police kept in any room or store or like a yam barn. All our men are always engaged on duty. Everywhere in Nigeria, we lack manpower, so all our men are always engaged. For us to give out men, we’ll need time to make men available for every operation,” he said.
The commissioner, however, said the delegation explained that Obi was not coming for a campaign but only for a visit and that they required only a limited number of security personnel.
He said he consequently made arrangements for three patrol teams to accompany the former Anambra State governor’s movement.
“But when they told me, I said, well, I cannot stop them. When I told them, they said no, no, he’s not coming for campaign, he’s just coming for a visit. What they need is just few men. I said okay, I’d not give a VIP that few men. I am going to make sure I provide three patrol teams with full complements, and that was exactly what I did,” Nwadiogbu said.
The commissioner said the teams were led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of operations as part of the security measures put in place for Obi’s visit.
‘They Never Told Me To Transmit Letter’
Addressing the controversy over whether the police were expected to forward the NDC’s letter to the governor, Nwadiogbu said that was not part of the request made to him.
“To the issue of transmitting the letter to the governor, they never told me to transmit to anybody. The assumption is that they have finished every other aspect of what they want to do and how they are going about their movement. They came to inform me, that the information is basically for provision of security, and that was what I did,” he said.
Nwadiogbu also maintained that the officers deployed for Obi’s visit were provided for security purposes and were not assigned to “combat protests.”
The clarification comes amid controversy over the disruption of Obi’s movement in Benue State, after youths blocked his convoy along the Makurdi-Gboko Federal Highway on Tuesday.
The NDC and supporters of Obi have condemned the incident, with allegations that the action was “politically motivated.”
However, the Benue State Government has denied involvement in the disruption. Reacting to the attack during his visit to the state, Obi said the “rascality” should no longer be allowed.
Opposition figures like Omoyele Sowore and Atiku Abubakar have condemned the incident.
The Police Command has since arrested 46 suspects in connection with the incident and said the arrests followed intelligence-led operations.
It’s not the first time the presidential hopeful has faced a similar incident. In April 2025, Obi’s planned visit to nursing schools and IDP camps in Makurdi and Gboko was disrupted after the Benue State Government issued a notice on “unscheduled visits,” citing concerns over his safety.
Obi subsequently turned back to avoid confrontation and redirected his visit to Plateau State. The latest incident marks the second time his movement in the state has been disrupted.
