Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has voiced strong opposition to the Edo State government’s handling of the 52 students from Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, who were arrested and remanded following a protest against insecurity.
Obi, in a firm statement, criticized the authorities for what he described as a “disturbing inversion of priorities.”
He argued that it is fundamentally wrong to penalize citizens for exercising their democratic right to speak out against the rising tide of kidnappings and banditry, while the real criminals remain free.
According to him, the arrests represent a troubling response to a legitimate civic action. He emphasized that these students were merely drawing attention to the severe insecurity that has caused widespread devastation in their local communities.
The former Anambra State governor expressed deep concern over reports that the students were seized from their hostels in the middle of the night.
Condemning the incident, Obi noted that the government’s action sends a dangerous signal to the nation’s democracy.
He insisted that the energy used in suppressing protesters should instead be directed toward tackling the bandits and kidnappers terrorizing the state.
Sharing his thoughts on X, Obi wrote:
“I have just been made aware of the alarming arrest and remand of 52 students in Ekpoma, Edo State, who bravely called for an end to the terror of kidnappers and bandits plaguing their community. Fight bandits not students.
“We cannot and must not punish citizens for voicing legitimate grievances, especially when they are standing up against the very real threats that have devastated our neighbourhoods.
“It is beyond belief that students were taken from their hostels at night simply for protesting, only to be treated as criminals. Meanwhile, the actual perpetrators, the bandits and kidnappers wreaking havoc, remain at large, unaccountable for their actions.”
The arrest of the 52 individuals follows a protest held on Saturday in Ekpoma over the incessant kidnapping of students and residents.
While the students maintain the protest was peaceful, the state government and police alleged that the demonstration was hijacked by hoodlums who vandalized properties, including the palace of the Onojie of Ekpoma.
The suspects were subsequently arraigned and remanded at the Ubiaja Correctional Centre on charges of malicious damage and robbery.
However, rights groups and student bodies like NANS have countered this, claiming many of those arrested were picked up from their beds and were not even part of the protest.