Youths who were mobilised to block the convoy of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, from advancing towards Yelwata in Benue State have been seen receiving bags of rice in a viral video, adding a fresh and troubling dimension to the controversy surrounding the incident.
The youths had reportedly formed a road blockade as Obi’s convoy travelled towards Yelwata, where the NDC presidential candidate was heading to meet victims and residents affected by the deadly attacks in the community.
The emergence of the video showing the youths with bags of rice has now intensified public attention on the circumstances surrounding the mobilisation that prevented Obi from completing his journey.
The footage has particularly raised questions about the treatment of the youths following their involvement in the incident and whether the distribution of the rice was connected to the mobilisation that stopped Obi’s convoy.
The development comes against the background of growing concerns about the use of young Nigerians in political confrontations. For many observers, the incident raises a broader question about whether unemployed and economically disadvantaged youths are being recruited or induced to participate in political activities that could undermine peaceful political engagement.
The controversy is also significant because Obi was travelling to Yelwata in connection with the humanitarian tragedy that has continued to attract national attention. Preventing a presidential candidate from reaching an internally displaced persons’ community to meet affected citizens has therefore generated questions about the political interests behind the obstruction.
The appearance of the youths receiving bags of rice has consequently shifted attention beyond the physical blockade itself. Nigerians are now asking who coordinated the youths, who provided the food items and why the distribution took place.
The authorities therefore have a responsibility to investigate the entire chain of events rather than treating the incident simply as a roadside confrontation.
They should establish who organised the youths, who transported or assembled them at the location, who supplied the rice and whether there was any connection between the distribution and the obstruction of Obi’s convoy.
The incident also underscores the need for political actors to desist from exploiting poverty and youth unemployment as tools for political confrontation. Young Nigerians should not become instruments in conflicts between political interests, particularly as the country approaches the 2027 general elections.
What happened on the road to Yelwata has therefore become more than a dispute between a political convoy and a group of youths. The emergence of the rice-distribution video has created a new question that demands a clear answer: who mobilised the youths, who supplied the rice, and what was the purpose of the distribution?
