Benue CP: NDC Never Asked Me to Forward Obi’s Visit Letter to Governor

The Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Cletus Nwadiogbu, has clarified that the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) did not ask the police to forward its notification of Peter Obi’s planned visit to Governor Hyacinth Alia.

Nwadiogbu said the letter was presented to him by NDC representatives who visited his office to notify the police command of Obi’s planned arrival and enable the police to make the necessary security arrangements.

The commissioner made the clarification on Thursday, September 10, 2026, while speaking on Channels Television’s Lunch Time Politics programme.

His comments came two days after Obi’s movement in Benue State was disrupted when youths blocked his convoy along the Makurdi-Gboko Federal Highway as he headed towards Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area.

According to Nwadiogbu, the NDC delegation had initially informed the Police Public Relations Officer that they wanted to meet him and eventually arrived at his office at about 5:30pm.

He said the delegation presented him with a letter informing the command that Obi would arrive in the state at about 8am the following day.

Nwadiogbu explained that the short notice presented a challenge because of the police force’s manpower constraints, with officers already deployed to different assignments.

He said the NDC representatives explained that Obi was visiting the state rather than embarking on a campaign and requested only a limited number of security personnel.

The commissioner said he nevertheless decided to provide enhanced security, deploying three patrol teams with full complements. The teams were led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations.

Addressing the controversy over whether the letter should have been forwarded to Governor Alia, Nwadiogbu said the NDC never instructed him to do so.

“To the issue of transmitting the letter to the governor, they never told me to transmit to anybody,” he said.

According to the commissioner, the purpose of the notification was to enable the police to provide security for Obi’s movement.

Nwadiogbu also rejected suggestions that the officers deployed for the visit were assigned to deal with possible protests.

He said the officers were deployed strictly to protect Obi and maintain security during his movement.

The clarification comes amid continuing controversy over the disruption of Obi’s visit. The Benue State Government has denied involvement in the incident and said it was not aware of the visit.

The police have since arrested 46 people allegedly linked to the obstruction of Obi’s convoy, saying the arrests followed intelligence-led operations.

The incident has attracted condemnation from Obi’s political allies and other opposition figures, while the circumstances surrounding the blockade remain under investigation.

Obi had travelled to Benue to visit Yelwata and sympathise with communities affected by previous attacks. Police said they had been informed of the visit and had deployed personnel to provide security for his movement.