By Obinna Uballa
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has ordered the immediate release of innocent students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, who were arrested and remanded alongside suspected hoodlums following the violent unrest that trailed last weekend’s protest against insecurity in Ekpoma, Esan South-West Local Government Area.
The governor’s directive came barely 48 hours after a court in Benin City ordered the remand of 52 suspects at the Ubiaja Correctional Centre over the destruction of property during the disturbance.
The New Diplomat had reported that there’s a growing outrage over the arrest of the students, with individuals like Atiku Abubakar, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, among others calling for their release.
Okpebholo gave the order on Tuesday during a meeting with the President of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of Ambrose Alli University, where issues surrounding the violence, arrests and security situation in Ekpoma were extensively discussed.
According to the governor, intelligence reports available to the state government indicated that the incident was not a student protest but was orchestrated by a group operating under the name “Ambrose Alli Comrade Community,” made up largely of former students who loiter around the university environment and engage in unlawful activities.
“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,” Okpebholo said.
“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 assured the SUG leadership that any genuine students who might have been caught up in the arrests during efforts to restore order would be identified and 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,” he said.
He insisted that the incident was never a legitimate protest, describing it instead as an organised attempt to loot and cause chaos.
Okpebholo also dismissed claims that kidnappings in Ekpoma triggered the violence, describing such reports as false and deliberately stage-managed to mislead the public and stir ethnic tension.
“The kidnapping they are talking about is fake. It was stage-managed. They were arranging to kidnap and release themselves. They even went as far as killing someone, which is the most painful part,” the governor alleged.
He condemned the burning of markets and destruction of property in the town, warning 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. We know ourselves, and we will bring those responsible to book to ensure justice for our people,” he said.
The governor stressed that the state government had no quarrel with AAU students, noting that the institution was not in session at the time of the incident and that no arrests were made within the university campus.
Reinforcing this position, the President of the Ambrose Alli University Students’ Union Government, Comrade Osadebamen Ehizogie Michael, said it was unfortunate that attempts were being made to link the violence to students.
“It is pitiable that some people want to associate what happened with students. We are here to formally debunk that. Students did not organise any protest,” he said.
He added that Governor Okpebholo had assured the union that any students among those arrested would be released.
Also speaking at the meeting, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) of Ambrose Alli University, Prof. Andrew Eromonsele, confirmed that no arrests were carried out within the university campus, further distancing the institution from the unrest.
The meeting was attended by the Commissioner for Education, Dr Paddy Iyamu.
