Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president has demanded the immediate release of 52 students from Ambrose Alli University in Ekpoma, Edo State and denounced their arrest and alleged imprisonment.
The arrests came after a peaceful rally against insecurity in Ekpoma on Saturday that descended into violence after alleged thugs took control of the protests, beat vendors, and placed tires on the road to obstruct traffic.
Atiku said that the freedom to demonstrate is protected by the constitution and characterized the arrests as proof of intolerance by the Bola Tinubu administration in a statement published on his verified X account on Tuesday.
“The level of intolerance and high-handedness of the Bola Tinubu administration is concerning. It is unacceptable that the authorities’ response to students’ protest against insecurity in the Ekpoma area of Edo State is to arrest and detain dozens of students of the Ambrose Alli University,” Atiku said.
He also stated that the law protects peaceful protest and denounced what he called the government’s misguided aims.
“The right to protest is not only enshrined in the Constitution but has also been validated by the courts. The primary responsibility of government is the security and welfare of the citizens,” he said.
“If the energy with which innocent students and citizens are arrested for raising concerns about insecurity were deployed to fighting terrorism and banditry, instead of negotiating with the criminals, our communities would be safer,” Atiku added.
He asked for the “immediate and unconstitutional release of all those unjustifiably detained for asserting their legitimate rights to protest.”
It was revealed that the Benin High Court remanded 52 people, including the students, at the Ubiaja Correctional Center on charges of armed robbery and malicious damage.
The violence that followed the protest reportedly included attacks on traders, road blockades, and the vandalisation of the palace of the Onojie of Ekpoma, Zaiki Anthony Abumere II, an act condemned by Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo.
Justice William Aziegbemi, who presided over the case on Monday, declared that he lacked jurisdiction and instructed defense attorneys to submit bail requests to the Ubiaja High Court. He adjourned the case’s hearing until February 26, 2026.
Several of the affected students claimed that while they were resting in their hostels at around 3:00am, they were detained and taken to Benin for arraignment in a Black Maria.
The Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, also condemned the arrests, describing them as a suppression of democratic expression. In a solidarity statement issued on Tuesday, she said, “We demand their immediate release from detention.”
Similarly, the National Association of Nigerian Students condemned the continued detention of the students, describing the situation as “ridiculous, unacceptable, and deeply disturbing,” insisting that students exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest should not face intimidation, harassment, or psychological trauma.
The Edo State Government, however, denied that the recent turmoil in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area, as a protest, claiming instead that it was a planned riot intended to destabilize the state.
The administration further denied allegations that people detained in relation to the violence were Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma students or that detentions took place within school hostels.
