Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has directed security agencies to immediately identify and release any innocent students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, who may have been arrested following the recent unrest in the university town. The governor gave the order on Tuesday during a meeting with the President of the Ambrose Alli University Students’ Union Government (SUG), stressing that AAU students were neither responsible for nor involved in the violence that disrupted Ekpoma. Okpebholo described the incident as a criminal act carried out by individuals who are no longer students but operate around the university environment under the guise of activism. According to him, their activities are aimed at causing chaos, extorting students and looting properties. “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 allow genuine students to be punished for offences they did not commit, promising swift action on any wrongful arrests. “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,” Okpebholo added. The governor also dismissed claims that the unrest was linked to kidnapping, describing the reports as false and deliberately misleading. “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 said. Condemning the burning of markets and destruction of property in Ekpoma, Okpebholo warned that anyone found sponsoring or using hoodlums to destabilise communities in Edo State would face the full weight of the law, regardless of their status. “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, thanked the governor for his intervention and rejected attempts to link the violence to students. “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 commenting on the situation, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Andrew Eromonsele, confirmed that no arrests were made within the university campus, further distancing the institution from the unrest.
