The Benue State Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, has said the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) never asked him to forward to Governor Hyacinth Alia a letter notifying the police of Peter Obi’s planned visit to the state.
Nwadiogbu said the letter was handed to him by NDC members who visited his office to inform the police command about Obi’s arrival, stressing that the notification was primarily intended to facilitate security arrangements.
The commissioner made the clarification on Channels Television’s Lunch Time Politics on Thursday while recounting events surrounding the disruption of Obi’s movement in Benue State on Tuesday.
According to Nwadiogbu, NDC officials initially informed the command’s Police Public Relations Officer that they intended to visit him. However, the delegation did not arrive until about 5:30 p.m., several hours after the scheduled meeting time.
“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,” he said.
Nwadiogbu said he informed the delegation that the police command needed adequate time to mobilise personnel because of existing manpower constraints.
“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 added.
Three Patrol Teams Deployed
The commissioner said the NDC delegation subsequently clarified that Obi was visiting the state rather than embarking on a campaign tour and that only a limited number of security personnel would be required.
Nwadiogbu said he nevertheless decided to provide more substantial security coverage, deploying three patrol teams to accompany the former Anambra State governor.
“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,” he said.
He added that the teams were led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of operations as part of the security arrangements for Obi’s visit.
‘They Never Told Me to Transmit Letter’
Nwadiogbu also addressed the controversy over whether the police were expected to forward the NDC’s letter to Governor Alia.
He said the delegation never requested that he transmit the letter to the governor or any other official.
“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.
The police commissioner further maintained that the officers deployed for Obi’s visit were assigned strictly for security purposes and not to “combat protests.”
46 Suspects Arrested
The clarification comes amid controversy surrounding the disruption of Obi’s movement in Benue after youths reportedly blocked his convoy along the Makurdi-Gboko Federal Highway on Tuesday.
The NDC and Obi’s supporters have condemned the incident, alleging that it was politically motivated. The Benue State Government, however, has denied involvement.
Reacting to the disruption during his visit, Obi described the incident as “rascality” that should no longer be tolerated.
Opposition figures, including Omoyele Sowore and Atiku Abubakar, have also condemned the incident.
The Benue State Police Command has since arrested 46 suspects in connection with the disruption, saying the arrests followed intelligence-led operations.
The incident is not the first time Obi’s movement in the state has been disrupted.
In April 2025, his planned visit to nursing schools and internally displaced persons’ camps in Makurdi and Gboko was disrupted after the Benue State Government issued a notice concerning “unscheduled visits,” citing concerns about his safety.
Obi subsequently turned back to avoid confrontation and redirected his visit to Plateau State.
Tuesday’s incident therefore marks the second reported disruption of the presidential hopeful’s movement in Benue State.
