Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has directed security agencies to immediately identify and free any Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma students who were wrongly arrested following the recent violence in the university community.
The governor gave the order on Tuesday while meeting with the President of the Ambrose Alli University Students’ Union Government (SUG), insisting that students of the institution were neither responsible for nor involved in the unrest that disrupted activities in Ekpoma.
According to Okpebholo, the incident was a criminal operation carried out by individuals who are no longer students but continue to hover around the university environment under the guise of activism, engaging in extortion, looting, and violence.
“I have met with the SUG President of AAU, Ekpoma, and we had a very lengthy discussion. As I have consistently maintained, this was not a students’ protest.
“These are individuals who are no longer students but hang around the school environment causing trouble and extorting law-abiding students. We will put an end to that,” the governor said.
He assured the student leadership that his administration would not punish innocent students for offences they did not commit, promising swift intervention for anyone mistakenly picked up by the police.
“For any students that were probably arrested, we will look into it immediately and ensure they are released through the SUG President. That is a promise, and it will be carried out as quickly as possible.
“The protest was not organised by students. In fact, it was not a protest at all. It was simply an avenue to loot,” he added.
Governor Okpebholo also dismissed claims that the violence was linked to kidnapping, describing such reports as false and deliberately orchestrated to mislead the public and escalate tension.
“The kidnapping they are talking about is fake. It was stage-managed. They were arranging to kidnap and release themselves. The most painful part is that someone was even killed,” he stated.
Condemning the destruction of markets and other properties in Ekpoma, the governor warned that anyone found sponsoring or using hoodlums to destabilise communities in Edo State would face the full weight of the law.
“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. Those responsible will be brought to book so justice can be served,” he warned.
Speaking on behalf of the students, AAU SUG President, Comrade Osadebamen Ehizogie Michael, expressed gratitude to the governor for stepping in and rejected attempts to link the unrest to the student body.
“It is pitiable that some people want to associate what happened with students. We are here to clearly state that students did not organise any protest,” he said.
Also reacting, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Andrew Eromonsele, confirmed that no arrests were made within the university campus, further distancing the institution from the violence that rocked the town.