Former Labour Party presidential candidate says jailing protesters while kidnappers roam free undermines democracy and public trust.
Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has sharply criticised the Edo State government over the arrest and remand of 52 students of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, following protests against rising insecurity in the area.
In a strongly worded statement shared on X on Tuesday, the former Anambra State governor described the arrests as a dangerous misplacement of priorities, warning that punishing citizens for speaking out against violence threatens democratic values.
According to Mr Obi, the students had staged protests to draw attention to persistent kidnappings and bandit attacks affecting their community. Rather than addressing those security concerns, he said authorities allegedly moved against the protesters, arresting some of them from their hostels during night-time operations.
Calling the development “alarming”, Obi argued that peaceful protest is a legitimate civic right, particularly when citizens are demanding protection from criminal violence.
“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,” he said.
Mr Obi expressed disbelief that students protesting insecurity were being treated as criminals, while those responsible for kidnappings and banditry remain at large.
“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 unaccountable,” he added.
The arrests have sparked renewed debate over the handling of insecurity in Edo State, as well as the broader issue of how authorities respond to public dissent in Nigeria. Rights groups and civil society organisations have previously warned that the criminalisation of protests could deepen public anger and erode confidence in governance.
As of the time of filing this report, the Edo State government had not issued an official response to Obi’s comments or clarified the charges against the detained students.
