EDO State Governor Monday Okpebholo has approved the release of students and other persons arrested in connection with the protests that erupted in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area, over rising insecurity and alleged kidnappings in the community.
The governor’s decision followed days of public criticism, pressure from student bodies, rights groups and political leaders over the arrest and continued detention of dozens of persons, many of whom were identified as students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma.
The first batch of seven detainees was released on Tuesday. The Edo State Commissioner for Education, Paddy Iyamu, who supervised the process, said only verified students would be freed, while those found not to be students would continue to face investigation and prosecution.
Iyamu said the state government was working with the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of AAU and relevant security agencies to properly identify genuine students arrested during the security operations that followed the unrest.
The release came after a closed-door meeting between Okpebholo and the AAU SUG President, Osadebamwen Ehizojie Michael, during which the governor maintained that the violence that engulfed Ekpoma was not organised by students of the institution.
According to the governor, the disturbance was carried out by hoodlums and non-students allegedly hiding around the university environment and exploiting the insecurity situation to foment chaos, loot shops and extort law-abiding residents and students.
“This was not a students’ protest,” Okpebholo said, adding, “These are people who are no longer students but are hanging around the school, causing trouble and extorting students. We will put an end to that.”
He assured student leaders that any genuine student arrested during the operation to restore order would be released without delay.
“For students who were probably arrested, we will look into it and get them released to the SUG President. That is a promise I made, and I will do it as quickly as possible,” the governor added.
The protests began on Saturday, January 10, after residents and students took to the streets to express anger over rising kidnappings and insecurity in Ekpoma and its surrounding communities. What started as a demonstration quickly escalated into violence, with reports of burning of markets, looting of shops, destruction of public and private property, and attacks on security facilities.
Following the unrest, the Edo State Police Command carried out arrests during and after the protests, including early-morning raids on hostels and private residences. At least 52 persons were arrested and later arraigned before a court, which ordered their remand at the Ubiaja Correctional Centre.
The arrests triggered widespread condemnation, with the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), civil society organisations and rights groups describing the detentions as excessive and a violation of the right to peaceful protest.
Political figures, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, also called for the immediate release of the detained students, urging the Edo State Government to adopt dialogue rather than repression.
Okpebholo, however, dismissed claims that the protest was triggered by genuine kidnapping incidents, describing such reports as false, stage-managed and intended to mislead the public and incite ethnic tension.
“The kidnapping they are talking about is fake. It was stage-managed. They were arranging to kidnap and release themselves,” the governor said, adding that a death recorded during the unrest was the most painful aspect of the incident.
He condemned the destruction of property in Ekpoma and warned that anyone, regardless of political affiliation, found sponsoring or using hoodlums to destabilise Edo communities would be prosecuted.
“I don’t care whether you are a politician or not. If you are using people to destroy our land and economy, we will go after you,” the governor said.
As of Tuesday evening, state officials said more releases were expected as verification of detained students continued. Meanwhile, rights groups have insisted that the government must ensure transparency, respect due process and address the underlying insecurity that sparked the protests.
Residents of Ekpoma remain tense but hopeful that the release of students would de-escalate the situation and open the door to dialogue between authorities, students and the wider community.
