Arresting Edo Students For Demanding Safety Is Unacceptable – Peter Obi

Peter Obi

Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has condemned the arrest and remand of 52 students in Ekpoma, Edo State. He recently described the action as utterly unacceptable and a dangerous attack on citizens’ right to demand security.

According to him, he was stunned to find out that students who protested against the rising menace of kidnappers and bandits in their community were treated like criminals instead of being protected.

Obi added that he’ll never understand why the students were picked up from their hostels at night for staging a protest, while the criminals responsible for the insecurity remain free.

His words, “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.

This situation is utterly unacceptable. 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 reality is clear: as long as insecurity continues unabated, more protests will follow. The government has a responsibility to engage in dialogue with these students and take decisive steps to reclaim their communities from the grip of violence. This is not a confrontation between citizens and the government; it is a united front against the criminals who terrorise us.

Arresting young people for demanding safety is absolutely intolerable. I call on the government to release these students immediately and unconditionally. Let us move forward with courage, not fear, in guiding our leadership.”

WOW.