Speaking on TVC Thursday, Alia said Obi failed to notify state authorities of his intended visit. “If you are coming into someone’s state, there are protocols,” he said.
Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has defended his decision to block Labour Party’s Peter Obi from visiting an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, citing security and protocol breaches.
Speaking on TVC Thursday, Alia said Obi failed to notify state authorities of his intended visit. “If you are coming into someone’s state, there are protocols,” he said. “I, the sitting governor, did not know you were coming… I need to protect them even some more. I don’t know the intent you have.”
He dismissed claims he was unreachable, saying, “No. That’s not the true story. If he couldn’t reach me, I have a chief of staff, I have an SSG, I have a PPS.”
Last week, Alia declared he could not guarantee the safety of visitors who arrive without clearance. Obi, however, decried the politicisation of his intended humanitarian visit, insisting the move was in bad taste given the plight of displaced persons in the conflict-ridden state.