NEWS
Tension In Benue: 46 Arrested Over Blockade Of Peter Obi’s Convoy
Tension has continued to trail the disruption of the convoy of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in Benue State, with the police confirming the arrest of 46 suspects over the incident.
The suspects were arrested after Obi’s convoy was blocked by angry youths along the Makurdi-Gboko Federal Highway on Tuesday during the former Anambra State governor’s visit to the state.
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Recall that Obi had travelled to Benue as part of his political campaign ahead of the 2027 presidential election and was also scheduled to visit Yelewata to commiserate with families and residents affected by the deadly June 2025 attacks in the community.
According to reports, trouble began a few metres away from the airport when Obi’s convoy encountered a large group of youths who had completely blocked the two-lane federal highway.
The blockade reportedly brought traffic to a standstill, with the road temporarily closed to other users.
The youths were said to have shouted “Peter Obi, go back!” as they prevented the convoy from proceeding towards Yelewata.
The Benue State Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, who addressed journalists in Makurdi, confirmed that 46 suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident.
Nwadiogbu said investigations were still ongoing, adding that the police were also trailing some key leaders believed to be connected to the confrontation.
He warned that the Benue State Police Command would not tolerate political intolerance or any act capable of threatening peace and security as the country moves towards the 2027 general elections.
Obi Condemns Incident
Reacting to the incident, Obi condemned the blockade, describing the development as worrying and unacceptable.
The NDC candidate said he arrived in Makurdi at about 9am and was on his way to Yelewata to console families affected by the killings when his convoy was stopped.
Obi said he was particularly concerned that he was prevented from visiting a community where more than 270 people were reportedly killed during the 2025 attacks.
He questioned whether Nigerians were still living in a country where political candidates could move freely during campaign activities.
According to him, he decided not to confront the youths because doing so could have escalated the situation and endangered the lives of other people.
Obi also appealed to security agencies, including the Inspector-General of Police and other relevant authorities, to intervene and ensure that political actors are protected during their campaigns.
He further called on state governors to ensure that political activities are conducted peacefully, stressing that what happened in Benue should not be allowed to become normal in Nigeria’s democracy.
The former governor also urged young Nigerians not to allow themselves to be used as instruments by political interests, particularly by those responsible for the difficult economic conditions facing citizens.
Keyamo Condemns Blockade, Criticises Media Coverage
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, also condemned the obstruction of Obi’s movement, saying preventing a political candidate from accessing a location should not be tolerated in a democracy.
Keyamo noted that regardless of the reason behind the incident, whether it was allegedly caused by internal disagreements within the NDC, as suggested by the Benue State Government, or was linked to supporters of another political party, such conduct was unacceptable.
He also rejected arguments that Obi should not have attempted to visit Yelewata because the 2025 killings occurred more than a year ago or because the visit could have been politically motivated.
According to Keyamo, every political candidate should be allowed to move around freely and conduct political activities without intimidation or crude interference.
However, the minister used the incident to criticise what he described as partisan reporting by sections of the media.
Keyamo argued that similar confrontations involving candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were sometimes described by the media as evidence of public “rejection”, while incidents involving opposition politicians were labelled as attacks allegedly carried out by “sponsored thugs” or “hoodlums”.
He said such differences in how political incidents are presented were unfair and urged the media to maintain greater balance in its coverage.
Keyamo also pointed to statements by some opposition politicians who, according to him, have claimed that APC candidates could not visit certain parts of the country without being stoned, beaten or otherwise harassed.
He questioned why such statements were not given the same scrutiny by what he described as partisan sections of the media.
The minister maintained that political disagreements should be settled through elections rather than violence.
He urged Nigerians who are angry with any candidate or political party to express their displeasure at the ballot box by voting against them rather than attacking or obstructing them during campaigns.
Benue Government Denies Involvement
The Benue State Government has denied any involvement in the incident and rejected allegations that Governor Hyacinth Alia or his administration sponsored youths to block Obi’s convoy.
In a statement issued by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, the state government described Obi’s allegation as unfounded.
The government said it had no knowledge of what Obi was referring to and suggested that the incident could have resulted from internal political disagreements within the NDC.
It also questioned whether Obi actually visited Makurdi on Tuesday, while accusing him of having a history of making statements the state government considers untrue about Benue.
The government maintained that Obi was not a threat to Governor Alia and argued that, even if there had been a genuine security concern surrounding his visit, recognised security agencies would have been responsible for handling the matter rather than political thugs.
The Alia administration further insisted that it does not engage, patronise or deploy thugs as instruments of governance or security.
With 46 people already arrested and the police continuing their investigation, attention is now focused on identifying the organisers of the blockade and determining the circumstances that led to the confrontation.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed the Appropriation (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill, 2025, into law, extending the implementation period of the 2025 budget from September 30 to December 31, 2026.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
According to the statement, the presidential assent followed the passage of the amendment by both the Senate and the House of Representatives on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
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The extension gives Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) additional time to complete ongoing capital projects and utilise funds already appropriated.
The Presidency said the move would ensure that funds already approved in the 2025 budget are fully put to work without disrupting critical government programmes.
The National Assembly had approved the extension after lawmakers considered the need to provide additional time for the implementation of capital projects under the 2025 Appropriation Act.
The Senate had described the extension as necessary to prevent the abandonment of ongoing projects and allow outstanding obligations relating to projects to be addressed.
With the President’s assent, the 2025 budget implementation deadline is now formally extended to December 31, 2026.
President Tinubu commended the leadership and members of the National Assembly for what he described as their prompt consideration of the amendment.
He said the development further demonstrated cooperation between the Executive and Legislative arms of government in the service of the country.
The latest extension marks another adjustment to the implementation timeline of the 2025 capital budget, which had previously been extended from its original deadline to March 31, June 30 and subsequently September 30, 2026.
The Federal Government has begun discussions with electricity distribution companies (DisCos) on plans to establish dedicated energy zones that could provide 24-hour electricity supply to homes, businesses and industries in major demand centres across Nigeria.
The initiative was discussed during a closed-door meeting between the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, and representatives of selected electricity distribution companies and other power-sector stakeholders on Wednesday.
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Under the proposed arrangement, the government is targeting six major locations across three key electricity corridors: the Lagos axis, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano corridor, and the Enugu-Port Harcourt corridor.
The proposed zones are intended to concentrate efforts on areas where reliable electricity is considered critical to manufacturing, commercial activities and other productive sectors.
Tegbe said the challenge facing Nigeria’s power sector goes beyond electricity generation and transmission, noting that distribution companies must also be able to take up available electricity and deliver it effectively to consumers.
“The constraint on the sector is not limited to generation and transmission but includes how much power is taken up and delivered at the distribution end,” the minister said.
According to him, the proposed energy zones are expected to help address gaps at the distribution end of the electricity value chain, while also supporting increased commercial and industrial demand.
The minister said the initiative could improve the revenue and collection performance of DisCos as more reliable electricity becomes available to productive users.
He also said the Federal Government would continue expanding electricity infrastructure in areas with high demand, stressing that electricity supply capacity must increase alongside the needs of the economy.
Representatives of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, Ikeja Electric, Eko Power, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company and Sahara Energy Group were among those reported to have attended the meeting.
However, the government has not announced a specific implementation date, the amount of electricity expected to be supplied to the proposed zones or the infrastructure investment required to achieve round-the-clock supply.
The plan comes as businesses and households continue to face concerns over the reliability of electricity supply and the ability of DisCos to efficiently distribute available power.
The President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, has challenged ADC chieftain Dino Melaye to account for his record of supporting students after the former senator criticised the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
Afeez made the remarks in a video circulating on social media on Tuesday while reacting to Melaye’s comments about the Federal Government’s student loan programme.
The NANS president questioned whether Melaye had personally provided scholarships or bursaries to students in his constituency.
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“Dino Melaye should come out and tell us if he has even given ₦5,000 as scholarship to students in his area, as bursary to students in his constituency,” Afeez said.
He questioned why Melaye should be the person shaping public opinion on education policy, particularly given his previous tenure in the Senate.
“Dino Melaye was a member of the 8th Senate, and I think he was one of the strongest members of the 8th Senate who was closer to the Senate President. What was his policy on education? What did he do to the students in his constituency?” he asked.
Afeez also criticised Melaye’s understanding of the NELFUND programme, saying the former lawmaker appeared to have confused the monthly upkeep payment with the entire support provided under the scheme.
“If Dino Melaye had done some research at all, he wouldn’t have embarrassed himself like that on national television stating that just ₦20,000 was given to students per year,” the NANS president said.
He explained that NELFUND provides educational loans as well as monthly upkeep support to beneficiaries.
“NELFUND has loan, and NELFUND has upkeep. Students are getting their educational loan and they are also getting the upkeep monthly,” Afeez said.
“And the upkeep is not just ₦20,000 a year, it’s ₦20,000 monthly,” he added.
Afeez further questioned whether Melaye had examined NELFUND’s publicly available information before making his claims.
“Even if Dino Melaye should go to ordinary NELFUND page, he will see schools acknowledging that they have received money from NELFUND,” he said.
The NANS president also took a strong position on Melaye’s criticism, describing the ADC chieftain as a comedian and questioning whether people still take his comments seriously.
“Do people still take Dino Melaye serious? Dino Melaye is a comedian. He is a jester,” Afeez said.
He argued that anyone commenting on education policy should be sufficiently informed about the subject.
“It is not about campaign and it’s not about supporting, but one fact is that if you want to talk about the education policy of the present administration, you have to have something upstairs,” he said.
Afeez also alleged that Melaye had previously asked students to endorse former presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar during the last election and subsequently failed to fulfil promises made to them.
“Dino Melaye, last election, came to Southwest to deceive students to endorse Atiku. After those students endorsed Atiku, he ran away with their money,” Afeez alleged.
He further claimed that Melaye had promised the students a vehicle.
Afeez concluded by dismissing Melaye’s criticism and saying NANS would continue to defend students’ interests.
The exchange followed Melaye’s earlier criticism of NELFUND, in which he described the programme as a “haven of corruption” and questioned the Federal Government’s claim that it was paying students’ school fees.
Melaye had specifically questioned the ₦20,000 payment, asking: “Which government school today takes ₦20,000 annual school fees?”
He also challenged NELFUND to publish the names of students who had benefited from the programme.
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