Edo Governor Monday Okpebholo has been told to tackle the menace of kidnapping activities menacing the state and weaned himself of alleged students’ persecution.
The counsel was given by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) against the backdrop of the imprisonment of 52 students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, arrested in connection with a protest against rising abductions in the area.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the organisation described the “remand of the students at the Ubiaja Correctional Centre on charges of malicious damage and robbery” as absurd, unjust, and morally bankrupt, accusing the Edo State government and operatives of the Nigeria Police Force of turning state violence on victims while kidnappers continue to operate freely.
According to eyewitness accounts and media reports, security forces carried out a midnight raid on student hostels in the early hours of Sunday, at about 3 a.m. Armed officers forced their way into rooms, dragged students from their beds, and arrested them in a sweeping operation that threw the campus into fear.
Some of those detained were reportedly unconnected to the protest and were taken away in their sleepwear.
The protest itself, which took place on Saturday, January 10, 2026, was a desperate cry against the wave of abductions plaguing Ekpoma, the headquarters of Esan West Local Government Area. Students, alongside community members, had marched to demand basic security after repeated abductions near hostels and along school routes. Just a day after the protest, another kidnapping was caught on CCTV, reinforcing claims that the area had become very unsafe.
CAPPA said the state’s response exposed a warped sense of judgment.
“Instead of hunting kidnappers who operate openly and violently, the government is punishing innocent victims who simply asked for protection,” the statement said.
The organisation said the arrests reflect a deeper failure of governance in Edo State and across Nigeria, where insecurity grows while governments criminalise those who speak out.
