More than 10 youths were reportedly hospitalised at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi, following Tuesday’s attack on the convoy of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in Benue State.
The incident occurred along the Gboko-Makurdi Expressway as Obi travelled towards Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area to sympathise with victims of the June 13, 2025 terrorist attack in the community.
According to reports, suspected thugs allegedly blocked the convoy and prevented Obi from proceeding to Yelwata. The confrontation reportedly resulted in injuries to several youths who were subsequently taken to BSUTH for medical attention.
A hospital official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that more than 10 injured persons were brought to the facility for treatment. However, the official said the hospital could not establish whether the victims were directly involved in the incident involving Obi’s convoy.
“Over 10 wounded victims were brought in here yesterday for urgent medical attention. They are being treated,” the official said, adding that the victims were responding to treatment and that, at the time of the official’s account, no death had been recorded at the hospital.
The hospital official’s account, however, contrasts with a claim by the NDC Benue State Publicity Secretary, Agile-Bem Jabez Ordedoo, who announced that one of the alleged attackers had died while receiving treatment at the teaching hospital.
Ordedoo alleged that the deceased was among youths mobilised to attack the NDC presidential and governorship candidates. He further claimed that the body had been deposited at the mortuary while other injured persons remained critically ill in the emergency ward.
The NDC spokesman also alleged that some parents of the injured youths had yet to arrive at the hospital, a situation he claimed was delaying aspects of their treatment.
Obi subsequently accused the Special Assistant to Governor Hyacinth Alia on Youths of masterminding the incident and mobilising youths to block his movement. The allegation has not been independently established.
The Benue State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Peter Orchia Aondongu, was reportedly unavailable for comment at the time of filing the report.
Efforts to obtain confirmation from the Chief Medical Director of BSUTH, Dr Stephen Hwande, were also unsuccessful, according to the report.
The conflicting accounts have therefore left key questions surrounding the incident unresolved, particularly regarding the identity of those injured, the circumstances that led to their injuries and the reported death.
As of the time of filing, the alleged death of one of the youths and the claim that the injured persons were victims of the confrontation involving Obi’s convoy could not be independently confirmed.
The incident has nevertheless heightened political tensions in Benue as opposition parties and their supporters demand clarification and accountability over the circumstances surrounding the alleged attack on Obi’s convoy.
