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The Benue State Police Command has launched an investigation into the reported blockade of the convoy of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in Makurdi.

Obi’s convoy was reportedly stopped by youths on Tuesday as he travelled to Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area to visit communities affected by the deadly June 13, 2025 attack.

Confirming the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, said the command was investigating the circumstances surrounding the blockade and would identify those responsible.

Nwadiogbu said police authorities were informed that Obi’s visit was humanitarian and not connected to political campaigning.

“Everybody has freedom of movement in Nigeria, so I provided security. I also directed the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations to personally lead the men,” the commissioner said.

According to him, police operatives were deployed to provide security for Obi and his team throughout the planned visit to Yelwata.

However, the situation reportedly changed after the convoy arrived in Makurdi.

“Unfortunately, upon his arrival, we heard that the youths blocked the road and said they did not want to see him,” Nwadiogbu said.

Videos circulated on social media showed a group of people blocking a road near the Air Force Base along the Boko Road axis, with some individuals reportedly running after vehicles in the convoy.

The police commissioner said officers at the scene intervened to prevent the situation from escalating, but Obi was unable to continue his journey to Yelwata and subsequently left the state.

Nwadiogbu said the command would establish what triggered the protest and determine whether anyone organised or sponsored the blockade.

“We must get to the bottom of it and know why the youths said somebody cannot move freely,” he said.

He added that investigators would also examine reports of possible damage or destruction linked to the incident.

The commissioner assured the public that the outcome of the investigation would be made known when concluded.

Background

Obi’s camp has maintained that the visit was strictly humanitarian, describing it as an expression of solidarity with victims and survivors of the Yelwata tragedy.

The June 13, 2025 attack in Yelwata, which claimed more than 200 lives and displaced thousands of residents, generated widespread condemnation and renewed calls for stronger security measures in Benue.

The convoy blockade has since triggered political controversy. While Governor Hyacinth Alia’s camp has denied involvement, Obi’s supporters have alleged that state actors may have mobilised the youths.

The police investigation is now expected to determine whether the incident was a spontaneous protest or a coordinated action.

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By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has commenced an investigation into outstanding debts owed to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) by oil companies and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), with the liabilities put at N432.07 billion.

The investigation followed findings contained in the Auditor-General’s annual audit reports on unpaid regulatory and petroleum-related obligations.

According to the Auditor-General’s 2023 Annual Audit Report, NNPCL and oil companies operating under the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), Major Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) owed the NMDPRA N392,725,541,038.24.

The outstanding obligations covered Balancing Allowance, National Transport Average, the one per cent Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund, as well as legacy debts linked to imports, coastal transactions and credit transactions.

A breakdown of the 2023 figure showed that NNPCL accounted for N162,456,750,832.47, while the oil companies owed N230,268,790,205.77.

However, the Auditor-General’s 2024 report put the outstanding debt at N432,072,557,867.17, excluding the indebtedness of NNPCL.

Submissions made by the NMDPRA to the committee also showed that 146 oil companies operating under DAPPMAN, MEMAN and MOMAN owed the regulatory authority N327,525,987,255.67 as of 2025.

The committee noted that the debts covered obligations dating back to 2017 and remained largely unpaid at the time of the review.

The Chairman PAC, Rep. Bamidele Salam, said the committee will ensure that all affected entities accounted for their obligations and submitted relevant records to enable Parliament to establish how the debts accumulated and why they remained outstanding.

Rep. Salam also warned companies and institutions summoned by the committee against ignoring parliamentary invitations.

He said, “Any company invited by this Committee must respect the people’s Parliament of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by honouring the summons with appropriate representation and all relevant documents. We are not here to witch-hunt anybody; our responsibility is to establish the facts, protect public revenue and ensure that every naira due to government is properly accounted for.”

According to him, lawmakers will scrutinise records relating to the outstanding liabilities, including the basis of the debts, the periods covered, payments already made, balances outstanding and measures taken by the regulatory authorities to recover the money.

He said the investigation was intended to strengthen accountability in the management of public revenue and prevent statutory obligations owed to government agencies from accumulating without effective recovery measures.

The PAC reaffirmed its commitment to exercising its constitutional oversight powers to ensure that public revenue was properly accounted for and that government agencies took appropriate steps to recover outstanding liabilities.

The investigation is expected to shed more light on the scale of the debts, the entities responsible and the measures required to recover the funds owed to the government.

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. NDLEA won’t relent until all fleeing suspects are brought to book, Marwa vows

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully secured the arrest and repatriation of Festus Ibewuike, alias Chidibest Ibewuike, a fugitive drug kingpin who had evaded arrest for over two years following the interception of the single largest heroin consignment ever recorded at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Ibewuike, who relocated to Mozambique where he ran a hotel business as a front, was one of three suspects declared wanted and charged in absentia after operatives of the Agency’s MMIA Strategic Command, in a coordinated 12-day operation in February 2024, intercepted 49.70kg of heroin concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines at the Import Shed of the airport’s cargo terminal. The operation, which led to the arrest of key members of the syndicate, including his wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike, who routinely received drug-laden parcels marked with the code “ND” on his behalf, also resulted in the freezing of 107 bank accounts and the forfeiture of properties linked to the cartel.

Those arrested were subsequently charged before Hon. Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, in charge no. FHC/L/205C/2024. Three of the suspects who have so far been convicted and sentenced by the court, include: Adinnu Felix Chinedu;
Osita Emmanuel Obinna; and ⁠Uzochukwu Frankline. Three other suspects still standing trial before the court are: Chidiebere Reginald Peter; Ibewuike Ndidiamaka Confidence; and
⁠Igbokwuputa Onyinye Ireene, while three others who were charged in absentia include:
Ibewuike Festus, a.k.a. Ibewuike Chidibest; Osita Chidozie Cyril; and one Arinze.
For over two years, Ibewuike remained a fugitive, shuttling between Mozambique and Nigeria through neighbouring Benin Republic in a calculated bid to evade Nigerian law enforcement. That evasion came to an end following actionable intelligence, which led to his arrest at the airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic on Wednesday 2nd September 2026 while the Agency worked with INTERPOL both in Nigeria and Benin Republic to facilitate his handover to a team of NDLEA operatives deployed to Cotonou on Friday 4th September. He was thereafter conveyed to Nigeria to answer for his role in the trafficking syndicate.
During preliminary interviews, Ibewuike, 52, confirmed his identity and disclosed that he had changed his name from Chidibest Ibewuike to Festus Ibewuike. On Saturday 5 September 2026, he was taken to the Agency’s Central Exhibit Store in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he formally identified the parcels of heroin, bearing the “ND” code, established to be linked to him.
Further investigation also revealed that Ibewuike Festus had previously been associated with another drug-related case before the Federal High Court, Lagos, presided over by Hon. Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari in charge no. FHC/L/203C/2013, regarding the seizure of 40.255kg of methamphetamine. The case involved one Chidi Ihedioha, who was subsequently convicted by the court in 2023.

Reacting to the development, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), described the arrest as a major breakthrough in the Agency’s relentless pursuit of fleeing drug kingpins. “This arrest is a major breakthrough in our resolve to track down and bring to justice every drug baron who thinks that fleeing Nigeria’s shores puts them beyond the reach of the law,” Marwa said.

“As I have always vowed, the long arm of the NDLEA will catch up with anyone involved in this illicit trade, no matter how long it takes or how far they run. Festus Ibewuike ran for over two years, hiding under a change of name and a new life abroad, but today he is back in Nigeria to answer for the 49.70kg heroin seizure linked to his network. This should serve as a fresh warning to fleeing suspects still at large: the Agency will not relent until every one of you is brought to book.”
The NDLEA Chairman commended the excellent multinational cooperation that made the breakthrough possible, particularly the Nigerian and Beninese INTERPOL National Central Bureaus for their role in ensuring a smooth transfer of custody.