Outrage as Armed Mob Barricades Gboko Road, Forces Peter Obi’s Convoy to Turn Back During Condolence Visit to Benue

A tense confrontation unfolded in Makurdi, Benue State, as a crowd of stick-wielding protesters and suspected political thugs mounted a blockade along Gboko Road, halting the motorcade of opposition figure Peter Obi and preventing his entry into the state capital.

The confrontation occurred shortly after Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), landed at the airport and began driving toward town for scheduled community engagements. Video recordings and accounts from his media team showed the critical transit corridor near the Air Force Base completely obstructed, with agitated youths brandishing clubs, sticks, and stones, chanting that the former Anambra State governor would not be permitted access to the area.

Addressing the incident directly from the scene, Obi disclosed that he had traveled to the state to offer personal condolences to farming communities mourning loved ones killed in recent rural attacks. Expressing frustration over the standoff, the opposition leader condemned the blockade as unacceptable political rascality, alleging that the demonstration was coordinated under the instruction of a Special Assistant to the state government.

Obi criticized political officeholders who manipulate vulnerable, unemployed youths into performing hostile partisan tasks, warning that weaponizing poverty and deprivation against fellow citizens will ultimately backfire on society. He questioned the rationale behind using state machinery or local enforcers to prevent a citizen from showing empathy to grieving families who have suffered from relentless security breaches.

Footage from the encounter showed chaotic scenes as elements within the mob surged forward, throwing rocks, sticks, and other projectiles at the stationary vehicles. Although a detachment of police personnel positioned themselves between the crowd and the convoy, the agitators breached the security line, compelling the convoy’s security detail to turn around and exit the highway to prevent injuries or loss of life.

The encounter has sparked fierce political backlash, reviving memories of past disputes between Obi and Benue State authorities over clearance protocols for humanitarian visits to internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. While state officials maintained that they had not been formally notified of the former governor’s travel plans, pro-democracy advocates and opposition platforms have condemned the street blockade, warning that deploying aggressive crowds to restrict freedom of movement poses a direct threat to democratic stability ahead of the 2027 general elections.