NANS DEMANDS IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF 52 AMBROSE ALLI UNIVERSITY STUDENTS REMANDED AFTER PEACEFUL PROTEST AGAINST INSECURITY IN EDO STATE


By Adesakin Adefemi 

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has formally condemned the arrest and remand of 52 undergraduates from Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, following a peaceful protest against escalating kidnappings and killings in the region. In a press statement issued on Monday, January 12, 2026, NANS President Oladoja Olushola L. Oladoja described the midnight police raids on student hostels as “unlawful, disproportionate and a calculated attempt to criminalise legitimate dissent”  echoing widespread outcry from civil‑society groups and media reports.

According to eyewitness accounts and court documents, the students were apprehended in coordinated midnight operations across Ekpoma on Sunday, January 11, 2026, while asleep in their rooms  many of whom had not participated in the street demonstration. They were later arraigned before Criminal Court II in Benin City, charged with armed robbery, malicious damage, and arson charges NANS and legal observers label “bogus” and “manufactured” to justify pre‑trial detention.

Justice William Aziegbemi, presiding over the ex parte application, ordered the 52 suspects remanded at the Ubiaja Correctional Centre for 14 days pending legal advice from the Edo State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and adjourned the case to February 26, 2026 for further hearing  a ruling NANS says violates due process and the constitutional right to bail.

NANS has issued four non‑negotiable demands: (i) immediate and unconditional release of all detained students; (ii) withdrawal of all charges; (iii) an independent investigation into the police operation; and (iv) an end to the weaponisation of state institutions against peaceful citizens. The union warned it would mobilise nationwide protests if authorities fail to comply with a stance supported by the Take It Back Movement, which also called for the Edo governor’s resignation over security failure

The protest that sparked the crackdown began peacefully on Saturday, January 4, 2026, with students marching to denounce abductions, including the killing of a female lecturer and the ransom‑demand kidnapping of a prominent businessman. Though the demonstration was largely non‑violent, unidentified agitators later vandalised the Onojie of Ekpoma’s palace and tore down campaign billboards acts police cited to justify mass arrests, despite video and testimonial evidence showing most detainees were not involved.

The incident has drawn sharp rebuke from political actors: the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accused the ruling APC of “brutality towards citizens and timidity before criminals,” demanding immediate release of the students and dismantling of criminal networks operating freely in Ekpoma a call amplified by human‑rights organisations and the Nigerian Bar Association Youth Win.

Meanwhile, insecurity in Ekpoma remains acute  a fresh abduction captured on CCTV on January 11, just one day after the protest, underscored the “tragic irony” of authorities jailing young people for demanding safety while kidnappers operate unchallenged. Civil‑society groups warn that continued repression risks inflaming public anger and deepening distrust in law‑enforcement and governance institutions.

As legal counsel prepares bail applications for the Feb 26 hearing, NANS and allied movements urge the Edo State Government, the Nigeria Police Force and the judiciary to uphold constitutional rights, halt intimidation of students, and redirect focus toward tackling kidnapping  rather than silencing those who speak out. The safety and dignity of Nigerian youth, they stress, must never be collateral damage in the fight against crime.

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