A civil rights organisation, Citizens’ Gavel, has called for the immediate release of 52 students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, who were remanded in custody following a protest against rising insecurity in the area.
The students were arrested after a demonstration in Ekpoma, the headquarters of Esan West Local Government Area. The protest, which began on Saturday as a peaceful march to draw attention to increasing cases of kidnapping, robbery, and killings around the university community, reportedly later turned violent.
Following their arraignment on Monday, the police’s actions have attracted widespread criticism from rights groups and concerned Nigerians.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Citizens’ Gavel, through its Senior Legal Analyst, Sylvester Agih, described the arrests and continued detention of the students as unfair, unconstitutional, and a violation of fundamental human rights. The group argued that the remand order violated the students’ constitutional freedoms, noting that some of those detained were not even participants in the protest.
“Citizens’ Gavel stands with the students of AAU and all concerned Nigerians in demanding the immediate release of the 52 students who were unfairly arrested and detained for protesting the insecurity affecting their university,” the statement read in part.
The group condemned the manner in which the arrests were carried out, alleging that many of the students were not apprehended during the protest or at the scene of the alleged vandalism, but were instead picked up from their hostels at night.
“It is a clear injustice that students calling for an end to robbery, kidnapping, and banditry in their university community were taken from their hostels like hardened criminals,” the statement said, adding that it was particularly troubling that some of those arrested did not take part in the demonstration at all.
Citizens’ Gavel further criticised what it described as selective enforcement by security agencies, accusing them of being quick to suppress dissent while failing to effectively tackle criminal activities that have plagued the university environment for months.
The rights group emphasised that peaceful protest is protected under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). It also reminded the Nigeria Police Force of its obligation under Section 35(2) of the Constitution to promptly inform suspects of the reasons for their arrest and to grant them access to legal counsel.
According to the group, reports that the detained students were denied these rights undermine the legality of the arrests and violate principles of fairness and due process.
The group called on the Edo State Government and the police to respect constitutional provisions and ensure the immediate release of the students, warning that continued detention could further inflame tensions and erode public trust in law enforcement.
