52 students from Ambrose Alli University, AAU, Ekpoma, who were remanded in prison due to their alleged involvement in last Friday’s demonstration against insecurity in the town, have been asked to be released immediately and without conditions by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State.
Dan Osa-Ogbegie, the PDP’s Publicity Secretary, called the ongoing detention of the suspects—the majority of whom are students—oppressive, illegal, and a flagrant misuse of power in a statement released late on Monday.
The party insisted that prior to being reportedly taken over by thugs, the demonstration was nonviolent and protected by the constitution.
The PDP warns that the state administration is endangering democratic expression in Edo State by penalizing victims while ignoring the actual violent offenders.
Osa-Ogbegie charged on Monday that the Okpebholo-led government has neglected to address the growing insecurity in Ekpoma and the surrounding communities, leaving them vulnerable to violent criminals and kidnappers.
He claimed that “only a government afraid of accountability would criminalize civic protest,” characterizing the government’s response as authoritarian and inept.
“The arrest and continued detention of peaceful protesters, many of them students, exposes the true character of the APC government in Edo State; brutal towards citizens, timid before criminals, and hostile to democratic expression,” the statement said in part.
The PDP called for the dissolution of criminal networks that operate freely throughout Ekpoma and surrounding areas and reaffirmed its opposition to kidnapping and killings.
Following rumors that miscreants had taken over the demonstration, a protest against growing insecurity on Saturday descended into violence, causing tension in Ekpoma.
Governor Okpebholo denounced the attack on vendors at a cattle market and the vandalism of Zaiki Anthony Abumere II’s palace in Ekpoma.
Public indignation about ongoing kidnappings and the death of a young person on Friday night served as the catalyst for the demonstration.
The situation worsened when thugs took over the protest, despite the fact that locals had first blocked a major route to make their demands.
Eno Ikoedem, a spokesperson for the Edo State Police Command, confirmed the event and stated that a soldier had shot one individual. He also claimed that the case had been turned over to military authorities for investigation.
