The Enugu State Government has denied any role in the violence that hit members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) on Saturday, October 10, 2026. Officials blame the airport confrontation on the party’s decision to stage a rally without approval. Meanwhile, police continue to investigate a separate shooting at the NDC state secretariat.
Secretary to the State Government, Chidiebere Onyia, addressed journalists at Government House in Enugu. “The attention of the Enugu State Government has been drawn to the false reports associating it with the Saturday, October 10, 2026 incidents,” he said. He then insisted that the airport episode was “purely a matter between NDC and the federal authorities.” Nevertheless, he said the government investigated the matter as a responsible administration that has invested heavily in the peace and security of the state.
According to Onyia, the investigation produced several findings. First, the NDC state chapter published a notice inviting supporters and members of the public to its “Grand Statewide Campaign Flag-off 2026” at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport. The party also posted the notice on the Facebook page of its governorship candidate. Furthermore, he said the police advised the party to secure approval from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) before it drafted its members to the airport.
However, Onyia said the NDC never obtained that approval. Security agencies therefore urged the organizers to rethink the event. The party, he claimed, ignored the advice and mobilized its members anyway. Consequently, an attempt to force entry into the facility triggered a face-off between the party members and airport authorities.
Security agencies then stepped in. Onyia said they dispersed what he called riotous party members to restore order around a “strategic national asset.” In addition, he said the government’s account matches the statement the Enugu State Police Command issued on Sunday, October 11, 2026.
Police spokesman SP Daniel Ndukwe issued that statement. He said joint police and military operatives dispersed suspected NDC members at the airport entrance at about 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Preliminary findings, he explained, showed that airport authorities had restricted the party members from entering in large numbers to receive their governorship candidate. “A misunderstanding reportedly arose among the party members and escalated into a fight,” Ndukwe said.
Turning to the party’s state office in the GRA area of Enugu, Onyia said security reports established that a violent clash took place there on the same day. He confirmed that the police are investigating. Notably, the police describe the incident as a shooting rather than a clash. Ndukwe said unidentified armed men opened fire in front of the secretariat at about 2:30 p.m. The attack left one man injured and damaged five parked vehicles.
Police operatives responded to a distress report, restored calm, and rushed the victim to a hospital. Officers describe his condition as stable. In addition, Commissioner of Police Mamman Bitrus Giwa ordered a thorough investigation into the shooting. He also urged political parties and their members to shun violence and to follow the law and existing peace accords.
Sojworldnews has not obtained a response from the NDC to the government’s claims. Until the police complete their investigation, the state’s version remains its own account of events. Still, the two incidents have sharpened tensions in Enugu as the 2026 campaign season gathers pace. Therefore, residents and political observers now wait for the police to identify the gunmen and clarify what happened at the airport.
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