CAPPA slams students’ arrests in Edo, urges Govt to focus on kidnappers
By Samuel Ogunsona
The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has condemned the imprisonment of 52 students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, in Edo State.
The students were arrested in connection with a protest against rising kidnappings in the area.
In a statement signed Robert Egbe, Communication Officer, made available to Irohinodua on Tuesday, the organization has demanded their immediate and unconditional release.
CAPPA described the remand of the students at the Ubiaja Correctional Centre on charges of malicious damage and robbery as “absurd, unjust, and morally bankrupt.”
The organization accused the Edo State government and operatives of the Nigeria Police Force of turning state violence on victims while kidnappers continue to operate freely.
According to eyewitness accounts and media reports, security forces carried out a midnight raid on student hostels in the early hours of Sunday, at about 3 a.m.
Armed officers forced their way into rooms, dragged students from their beds, and arrested them in a sweeping operation that threw the campus into fear. Some of those detained were reportedly unconnected to the protest and were taken away in their sleepwear.
The protest itself, which took place on Saturday, January 10, 2026, was a desperate cry against the wave of abductions plaguing Ekpoma, the headquarters of Esan West Local Government Area.
Students, alongside community members, had marched to demand basic security after repeated abductions near hostels and along school routes. Just a day after the protest, another kidnapping was caught on CCTV, reinforcing claims that the area had become very unsafe.
CAPPA said the state’s response exposed a warped sense of judgment. “Instead of hunting kidnappers who operate openly and violently, the government is punishing innocent victims who simply asked for protection,” the statement said.
Zikora Ibeh, Assistant Executive Director of CAPPA, said peaceful protest remains a constitutionally guaranteed right in Nigeria and a basic tool for holding power to account.
“These students are victims twice over. First by kidnappers and organised gangs, then by the state,” Ibeh said.
“Young people now risk abduction on their way to school and violence where they live. This situation damages learning and scars mental health. Female students face even higher risks, including sexual violence. The cost is long-term and devastating.”
CAPPA warned that students now live under siege. “Journeys to school are becoming more and more dangerous. Hostels have become targets. Learning is collapsing under fear and trauma. Yet leaders hide behind privilege while ordinary people pay the price,” the statement noted.
The organization expressed solidarity with the detained students and all Nigerians living under insecurity.
CAPPA called on the Edo State government and security agencies to drop all charges and release the 52 students immediately and also demanded an independent investigation into the arrests and accountability for abuses recorded during the raid.
“Jailing frightened students will not stop kidnappings. Only political will and genuine commitment to public safety will,” CAPPA said.
