Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo has directed the immediate release of students from Ambrose Alli University (AAU) who were detained following a weekend of volatile protests in Ekpoma. The decision follows a high-level meeting on Tuesday between the state executive and the university’s Students’ Union Government (SUG) leadership to address the mass arrest of 52 individuals.
The Governor’s order specifically targets "genuine" students who may have been caught in the crossfire of security sweeps. According to a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, Dr Patrick Ebojele, the Governor emphasised that the state has "no quarrel" with law-abiding students. By Wednesday morning, State Commissioner for Education Dr Paddy Iyamu confirmed that a screening process was underway at the Ubiaja Correctional Centre, with approximately 38 students expected to regain their freedom.
The unrest began on Saturday, January 10, as a demonstration against rising cases of kidnapping and insecurity in the Esan West Local Government Area. However, Governor Okpebholo maintained that the peaceful intentions of the students were subverted by external actors. He identified a group known as the "Ambrose Alli Comrade Community"—comprised largely of ex-students and non-residents—as the primary instigators of the subsequent looting and vandalism.
"I have met with the SUG President of AAU Ekpoma. We had a very lengthy discussion, and as I have consistently said, this was not a students' protest," Governor Okpebholo stated during the briefing. "These are people who are no longer students but are just hanging around the school, causing trouble and extorting students. We will put an end to that."
The Governor also dismissed recent reports of kidnappings in the region as "fake" and "stage-managed". He alleged that some incidents were orchestrated to create ethnic tension and destabilise the state. "The kidnapping they are talking about is fake. It was stage-managed. They were arranging to kidnap and release themselves," the Governor claimed, promising to prosecute anyone found sponsoring such activities.
AAU SUG President Comrade Osadebamen Ehizogie Michael echoed the Governor’s sentiment that the student body did not organise the riotous elements of the protest. "It is pitiable that some people want to associate what happened with students," Michael said. "We are here to formally debunk that students did not organise any protest. His Excellency has assured us that any students among those arrested will be released."
The mass arrests, which reportedly included early-morning raids on student hostels, drew sharp condemnation from civil rights groups and political leaders. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan were among those who criticised the move, describing it as a suppression of democratic expression. Citizens' Gavel, a civil rights organisation, warned against the "criminalisation of student protests," noting that many were picked up from their beds at 3:00 a.m. rather than at the scene of the violence.
